Distance: Memories
by General Kitty Girl
Summary: The fourth installment to the popular Distance saga! Since returning from the World of Shadows, Daisuke has been plagued by horrible nightmares of losing Dark all over again. However, there are 2 sides to everyone's fate DxK DaixS
1. Nightmares

**Chapter: 1**

_'Pythagorean theorem? Theory of Relativity? Shakespeare? Calculus? WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS CRAP?' Dark demanded in Daisuke's head as the poor red haired boy sat alone in his room doing his never ending supply of torture that his teacher so kindly named, homework._

"I have a big test coming up in class next week…and with you and mom keeping me busy every single night, I haven't had time to study for anything or anyone of my subjects…" Daisuke said with a weary sigh as he had been studying five hours straight and it was now one o' clock in the morning.

_'Well…I take orders from Emiko…so blame her not me…' Dark said with an evasive laugh and Daisuke glared at him, 'Besides…you weren't exactly complaining…after all it gave you a chance to see your creepy detective boy every night.'_

"HEY!" Daisuke said with a suddenly reddened face and a blush, "That's no-none of your business, Dark!"

_'Geez, okay, okay!" Dark replied with a long pause of silence as Daisuke put his nose back into his English books. '…But you know it's true…'_

"DARK!" Daisuke yelled and growled infuriately and then slammed his books shut and quickly stood up in his chair stomping over to his bed, "I'm going to sleep, and if I so much as hear a peep out of you, I swear I'll never let you out to see Krad again!"

Now, not many things on earth could possibly make the great phantom thief Dark Mousy shut up…but a threat like that made his lips close together like super glue. Daisuke and Satoshi were both aware of how much Dark and Krad meant to each other, and by threatening to take away that privilege was like threatening to take away the very air they breath.

Daisuke stood still for a few minutes to make sure his little threat worked. Once he was satisfied that Dark wouldn't open his large trap again tonight he forcefully threw back his covers and flopped down on the bed tucking himself in tight. He had been so frustrated and moody for the past few weeks because of his lake of sleep…but even when he was allowed to get some rest, his dreams were filled with horrible nightmares. Even Satoshi seemed to know this because whenever Daisuke would fall asleep in class, he'd look so peaceful then wake up all of a sudden looking as if he wanted to scream and break out in a cold sweat.

It had been a month and a half since Dark and Krad sealed off the demon from the World of Shadows, and nearly lost their lives in the process. Ever since then, Daisuke had been more fearful about another magical catastrophe… and that next time, he might truly loose Dark…forever. Even though Dark had promised him that he would keep his pride and ego in check from now on, it did little to sooth Daisuke's worries. Every night now for the past two weeks, he'd dreamt about it…about truly loosing Dark to some horrible and malevolent darkness that comes out of nowhere and tares the Phantom Thief from his body…ripping out his second soul. Every night…every time…it was always the same, and Daisuke could do nothing to stop it, just like when he was powerless to stop Verruckt from taking Dark away from him the first time after watching Adel's vision of Dark's death. It tore him up inside just to think about it…the horrible look of pain on Dark's face and the sword twisted deeper and deeper into his body, draining every last ounce of blood from Dark's veins, and all he could do was stand there and powerlessly watch…had Krad not been there, Adel's vision would have come to pass…and that terrified him.

* * *

_Daisuke was alone, it was dark as night outside except for the full silvery moon that hung surprisingly low in the sky. The gentle crystal shade of the starlight through the window onto the ground was so calm and comforting, and the more Daisuke gazed upon the silvery tinted marble floor, the more tranquil he felt. It was so soft and velvety looking, he just wanted to lay down and bask in it's sweet glow…but he knew he couldn't…he had to steal that damn artifact before he was discovered. It seemed like such a shame to leave that soothing light, but duty calls._

_Daisuke walked forward out of the darkness and into the warm glowing room, however, as soon as his black boot touched the pale, illuminating surface…it turned blood red. Then the floor became a sea of crimson red as his foot made a small ripple in it. Now the light was no longer peaceful and welcoming…no…now it was terrifying and ominous! A dark presence swept through the room all at once and then the black light shone horribly bright from the other side of the room…from the alter holding tonight's target artifact._

_Suddenly Daisuke couldn't breath, he felt frozen from head to toe, his brain was screaming for him to run but he couldn't move. Suddenly it happened…the one thing he feared more then death itself…the same event that plagued his thoughts every night…and though it only took a second, Daisuke felt like it was an eternity of pain. The sword shaped beam of black fire that blasted into his chest and drained him of the only warmth he had left in his body…The horrible monster ripped out his second soul and left him horrified, alone, and cold!_

_"DAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!"_

* * *

"DAAAAAAAAARK!" Daisuke shot up screaming. His eyes were wide as tears freely flowed from them, he was shaking horribly, and he was sweating freezing cold drops of liquid.

_'…Daisuke, Daisuke!' Dark yelled woken up and startled at hearing the sudden burst from his host as it rang loud and clear inside his head. 'GEEZ DAISUKE! What the hell is wrong wit-" Suddenly Dark stopped and stared at Daisuke who was now with him in his astral plain of existence inside his mind, clinging to him as if he were the only thing holding him down to earth, and crying like crazy. Dark was immensely confused and unsure of what in the world happened to make Daisuke act so strangely, 'Dai-Daisuke...what's wrong…?'_

Daisuke was crying so fiercely he was almost inaudible, "Oh God, Dark!" Daisuke cried out through sobs and violent spasms, "Oh God, please don't ever leave me alone!"

_'Wha-What?' Dark asked now looking completely bewildered, "Daisuke…did you have a bad dream or something?' He asked with one eyebrow raised._

"No, no, no! It was…it was to real to be a dream!" Daisuke cried and clung tighter to Dark, "You were gone…you left me all alone and cold! …Why…why does this keep happening?" Daisuke screamed after burying his face into Dark's chest still crying uncontrollably.

_Dark stood there a moment trying to register and figure out what Daisuke said exactly, but he got the gist of it after hearing, "You were gone…" and "you left me alone". '…Daisuke…' Dark said in a calm and loving voice as he comfortingly wrapped his arms around the crying child and laid his head on Daisuke's, 'Daisuke calm down…it's okay, I'm right here…and I'm not going anywhere.' The sprit continued softly stroking Daisuke's back, 'It was just a dream…you don't have to worry about it. I promise I'll always be here, and I won't leave you alone anywhere, okay? …There's no need to cry…I'm right here…'_

'But will you always be here?' Daisuke asked himself. Slowly his sobs and spasms lessened as Dark continued to tell Daisuke that he was still here and for Daisuke not to worry about it. Dark felt so warm to Daisuke, his presence so real and comforting, his words felt so sincere and soothing… but he never lessened his hold on Dark…because no matter how much he wanted to believe Dark's words, he still felt as though his hands were the only thing still attaching Dark to him.

_'I promise…I'll always be here…'_

* * *

Finally, the bell for lunch rang and Daisuke couldn't be any happier to hear it. Not only did it mean that this boring lecture on the importance of algebra was over, but it meant that Daisuke could hopefully keep himself awake before the next lesson. Daisuke looked terrible, he looked as though he hadn't slept in days, which he hadn't. Since that night three days ago when he woke up crying and clinging to Dark after his horrible nightmare, he'd been to afraid to fall asleep, fearing to have Dark ripped out of him again. And finally someone noticed…

"Daisuke…are you feeling alright?"

Daisuke had been nodding off to sleep but now snapped to attention in his seat as Satoshi gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Ah! Y-y-yes! Yes I'm okay really!" Daisuke said with a quick smile, "Thanks for asking, but I'm alright, really!" He said with a yawn and hid his rest-deprived face with his usual perky expression he was known for.

But Satoshi knew better. Daisuke had been acting so strange lately, nearly falling asleep in gym class on the track, almost drowning in the pool after falling asleep during the first lap, the way he kept fighting to stay awake during his academic classes which normally he wouldn't have had a second thought falling asleep in. Satoshi kept wondering if Daisuke was ill, and wondered if it would be best not to ask for Daisuke and Dark's help until he was better. But Daisuke only seemed to be getting worse and time was of the essence.

"Daisuke…you should go home and get some rest…you don't look well at all." Satoshi replied after a moment of thought and with a stern voice.

"NO!" Daisuke nearly screamed then caught himself, "I mean…no, no I um…I'm really fine, just a little tired after studying all night last night…really!"

Satoshi seemed to consider this for a moment then turned inwards after feeling Krad stir.

_'He's lying…both his and Dark's spiritual and mental energies are near depleted…he must not have slept in days…' The golden haired seraph said suspiciously._

Satoshi then looked back down at Daisuke who seemed to have forgotten he was even there; he was zoning out and staring into space. Then suddenly Daisuke came to as he felt himself being lifted up as Satoshi placed one arm under Daisuke's and then wrapped Daisuke's other arm around his neck.

"I'm taking you home Daisuke, you're barely alive, and I doubt one long night of studying did that." Satoshi said firmly as he lead the to tired to resist Daisuke out of the room.

Satoshi had called for his personal driver to take he and Daisuke to the Niwa's residence, and once inside the car, Daisuke fell over and gave into the tempting allure of comfortable leather seats and Satoshi's lap. Before Satoshi had even closed the door, Daisuke had fallen over onto his lap and was out cold.

"Daisuke?" Satoshi exclaimed startled.

_'…Satoshi…don't take him back to the Niwa's house…'_

"What? But Krad, he obviously needs rest…and his mother ought to know of her son's condition. Not to mention we can't ask for his help if both he and Dark are in this state…" Satoshi replied confused and shocked at Krad's odd request.

_'Yes…but he's obviously not going to tell her or us what's wrong…but maybe Dark can.' Krad replied emotionless then replied in a more bitter tone, 'And as for asking for his help…we might consider just forgetting about it…'_

Satoshi gave Krad a hard look after his last comment, but decided to let it slide for now, as they both agreed that Dark's intervention in this problem was a necessity. "What makes you think he even knows?" Satoshi asked curiously.

_'Well, we'll never know until we ask…and we certainly can't ask them at the Niwa's residence, as you well know. They weren't exactly welcoming the last time we showed up.' Krad countered annoyed at having to debate this logic out with his host._

Satoshi thought about it for a moment, and then looked down at Daisuke and sighed. "Driver…take us back to my apartment." Satoshi said regaining his normal and firm tone of voice. This command was met with no argument and soon the car was driving off down the road.

Daisuke had slept the whole way, he didn't even stir once, which Satoshi felt reassuring, until the driver stopped on the sidewalk in front of Satoshi's apartment and Daisuke's body began to shiver. Satoshi looked upon him worriedly as sweat started to pour down Daisuke's face, what on earth could be wrong?

Then after having to drag Daisuke all the way up the stairs and into the apartment, Daisuke suddenly stopped shaking and his body returned to a normal state of lifeless sleep.

'What the hell is going on with Daisuke?' Satoshi asked himself as he placed Daisuke down gently on the couch.

_'Satoshi…let me speak with Dark…if I'm there he's most likely to come out.' Krad said with a hint of anxiousness in his voice._

Satoshi looked back at the demon for a moment before nodding and felt the swift and slightly less painful transition from flesh to a dormant presence in the back of his ice demon's mind.

Where Satoshi once stood over Daisuke, now stood a taller, golden haired angelic being with concerned cat-like eyes watching the boy breath calmly.

"Dark…may I have a word with you?"

A slightly weakened and faint light covered Daisuke as unruly red hair transformed into slightly smoother purple, and the small 16 year old became the great phantom thief. However, the normally impressive Dark Mousy's appearance was about the same if not worse then his host's.

Dark lay there for a while to exhausted to move from the curled up position on the couch, then eventually pushed himself upwards into a sitting position but couldn't go much more then that.

"…Hi ya…beautiful…" Dark said trying to cock a smirk, but was to weak to do so and just lowered his head trying to conserve as much energy as possible to stay awake.

"…" Krad didn't know what to say at first and then knelt down on one knee in front of Dark and pulled Dark's chin up so he could get a good look at his face, "Dark…what the hell happened to you and Daisuke?" Krad asked with a stern voice with a hint of worry.

"Ah…Dai…Dai's been having…these damn nightmares…" Dark began and sighed deeply to try and continue, "…He refuses to sleep…something must have really…scared the…hell out of him…'cause…he keeps clinging to me as if…I'll just 'all up and leave him or something…" Dark said as his arms that were holding him up felt like jell-o.

"Nightmares?" Krad asked confused, "Nightmares about what?"

Dark was silent a moment and his eyes were slowly closing, "…I don't know…he won't give me…a straight answer…only that…" Suddenly Dark's energy finally gave out on him and he slumped forward into Krad's arms and nearly knocked the surprised angel over.

Krad was surprised and still utterly confused. Dark seemed like he hadn't slept in years, and all because of his host having…nightmares? He looked down at Dark's exhausted and sleeping face and felt only concern and worry for his other half…and however much he would have liked to remain there holding Dark like this while he slept, he had to wake him up and tell him that time was running out and he desperately needed his help with something extremely important.

Krad sighed and pulled Dark closer and ran his hand through Dark's soft hair while his other pulled Dark closer to him and rested Dark's head gently against his chest. Dark was to exhausted, and it was only because he spent most of his energy comforting his child host. Dark was so kind…even if it meant stretching himself beyond his limits, he did everything he could to comfort Daisuke. Krad only wished he had a heart like Dark's…and even though they were practically two parts of one being…they were complete opposites.

"…" Krad sighed and kissed Dark gently on the head, "Rest for now…though time is precious and little…I promise to watch over you as you sleep…my love…"

**Notes from the Author:**

OMG! AFTER 4 LONG MONTHS THE KITTY GIRL HAS FINALLY WRITTEN A FOURTH INSTALLMENT TO THE DISTANCE SAGA! XD SKWEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I'm so sorry for the loooooooong loooooooooooong wait, but a lot's been going on in my life and sever writers block had me for a while. And though I can't promise fast updates like I use to have, I can say that I'm finally back at the computer desk weaving my fanfic magic! Thank you all sooooooooo much for all of your comments on my previous stories! And a warm and hearty thanks to all of my loyal fans who have been with me since fic 1! I hope you all, new fans and old, enjoy my newest story! I LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!


	2. Two Angelic Thieves

**Chapter 2:**

Being a magical being, Krad had little sense of time…for him; time stopped the day he was born, because for him, it couldn't end. Dark must have slept for hours, for the sun had already set and the moon was high in the sky. Had afternoon turned into night so fast?

However, through out the entire time Krad held Dark as he slept…he didn't stir once. Normally when Daisuke fell asleep, he would only be able to do so for a few moments before his nightmare began and he had to wake up before he stepped into the room of blood…but now…Daisuke and Dark seemed to be having the most peaceful sleep they'd had in weeks. Maybe Daisuke wasn't dreaming tonight, Krad thought to himself still staring down at Dark's blissfully sleeping face, maybe…he feels safer now?

_'…I guess…with you around…he doesn't have to fear about losing Dark…' Satoshi commented half asleep in the angel's mind._

"What do you mean?" Krad asked a bit confused at Satoshi's assumption, "I've been trying to get rid of Dark for more then three hundred years…what makes him think Dark is safe with me even now?" Krad replied bitterly at the memories of nearly taking the Phantom Thief's life so long ago.

_'Well…when Daisuke almost lost Dark back in the World of Shadows…you were there…and you protected him…' Satoshi said feeling his own body demand sleep before he passed out, '…In a way…without you being there…Dark…wouldn't have returned to Daisuke…'_

Krad remained silent for a while thinking back on the event where he had indeed saved Dark's life instead of eradicating it. It was strange that he would step in and defend his most hated rival in his time of need. He had always told himself that it was only because the right to kill Dark Mousy was his and his alone…but thinking back on it…the thought of killing Dark himself never crossed his mind as he took up a blade against Dark's shadow…only the desire…no…the need to prevent his Dark from being thrown into oblivion and never being able to see him again. He had changed so much since then…Dark was his life…without him; he had no reason to exist. Suddenly, while Krad was to engross in his thoughts to notice the once sleeping form he held in his arms stir, Dark's eyes opened and he looked up at Krad's preoccupied face staring at the floor very deep in thought.

"…You know…think to hard will only give you a migraine…" Dark replied with a slight smirk and a yawn, as he was still fighting off the urge to snuggle up close to his other half again and fall back asleep.

Suddenly Krad's head shot up and he turned back down to Dark, a bit surprised that the thief suddenly spoke after so long of silence. He was even more surprised when Dark had fully recovered from his after sleep stage and sprang up and kissed Krad quickly on the lips before knocking him over fully to the ground.

Krad could only stare up at Dark, who was now on top of him smirking, with a slight blush on his face.

"Hehe, you know, you really are adorable when you blush like that." Dark said with a smile as he placed his hands on either side of Krad's head.

Suddenly, Krad's shocked expression became a frown; "Good to see you're still alive…for a moment there I thought you were dead…to bad to see I was wrong…" The blond angel replied with an annoyed Hmph!

"Oh, come on! You were holding me like I was your teddy bear!" Dark said with a grin and then sat up on Krad's midsection and crossed his arms, "So drop the tough guy act."

"You moron…I don't hold things like teddy bears in high esteem like your precious humans…" Krad growled, "And if I did have one…I'd probably vaporize it…so…still think I held you like a…'Teddy Bear'?"

Dark thought about this for a moment and decided that Krad still wasn't one to show his more pleasant feelings upfront yet, or nor admit his concern for him. He shrugged it off and playfully pecked Krad on the nose again, "Well, I'm still here…so I guess not." He said with a grin.

"Good…now that that's settled…mind getting off of me?" Krad asked with a tone tainted with a threat.

"Aww…but I rather like this spot!" Dark whined and lay back down on Krad's chest, "It's comfy."

"Comfy? Grrr…I'll show you comfy if you don't get your ass off of me…" Krad growled.

Dark knew when he was pushing his luck, and reluctantly removed himself from Krad's body and offered to help the angel up, but as usual Krad preferred to do that alone.

Krad stood up and retained his dignified and intimidating composure by crossing his arms and glaring at Dark, "So…what may I ask woke you up in such a good mood?"

"Hehe, that's easy," Dark said with a grin and mimicked Krad's posture of crossing his arms, "I heard your lovely voice and was dying to kiss those wonderful lips it were coming from." Then Dark's smirk lessened into a sincere grin, "And I wanted to thank you for finally putting Daisuke's mind at ease…this is the first time he's really slept in weeks…and the kid is still out cold. So…thanks."

Krad only gave him a hard look and a blush before he turned his head to look at a random spot on the wall. "Whatever…" Krad mumbled then decided it best to discuss his important request before Dark started to get out of hand and "distract" them both from their pressing business. "Well Dark Mousy, once again your useless human habits have hindered our priorities yet again. While you were taking your nap, we've now lost precious time…and time is a luxury we have little of."

Dark tilted his head a bit at Krad's now serious tone. Priorities? Lose of precious time?

"Um…Krad…forgive me for asking…but…what the hell are you talking about?" Dark asked feeling now completely out of the loop.

"…However much I loathe having to ask you for this…I am bound by the pressures of logic and my host…" Krad growled bitterly then turned back to look at Dark with a grave look on his face, "I…I need your help…with something…and please try to keep the taunting an annoying gloating to a minimum…okay?" Krad added with a threatening growl.

Dark could take the hint, and kept quiet…But Krad…Krad was actually asking for his help with something important? Dark was all ears for this one, the thought of Krad openly admitting that he needed his help was just to shockingly fascinating for him to believe! "Alright then, Krad, shoot!" Dark said now very interested in what the fallen seraph had to say.

'If only…' Krad muttered to himself bitterly. "…A few days ago…a very precious artifact was discovered in the sunken ship wreck of an old merchant ship that was bound for England about two hundred years ago…and it's a very powerful and dangerous piece…" Krad said with a sigh, "And now stupid human's are trying to study this artifact because it's a one of a kind Hikari work…however…those fools don't understand that accidentally disrupting the magic within could be disastrous."

Dark nodded his head, "Yeah, I did hear about that… 'The Immortal Chain' right?" Dark replied, "I was planning on stealing it sometime…but it's a very difficult item to get information of…and I kind of promised Daisuke not to dive head first into anything dangerous for a while…" Dark finished with a sigh and a sweat drop.

"Well…hopefully 'a while' is over now…because this artifact it one thing that should have never been created…and yes, it is very dangerous." Krad replied with his feral eyes never leaving Dark's, "And we are going to steal it and seal it. Understood?" Krad said as quickly and firmly as possible to let Dark know he wasn't in the mood for jokes and laughter…But of course after finally hearing what Krad's dilemma was…to actually STEAL something, he couldn't help but let his mouth drop and the bottled up hysteria explode.

Dark burst out laughing! This had to be the dream; this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard in his entire life! He was grabbing his aching sides he was laughing so hard.

Krad only stood there with one eye twitching and extremely red in the face with embarrassment and anger. He knew he shouldn't have asked him…he knew this would happen. Krad even found this ridiculous to believe…but none of it seemed funny to him at all. "…Dark…" Krad growled trying to get Dark's attention again while trying to hold his temper.

"Bwwahahahaha! Oh-Oh, I'm, Haha, sorry Krad…" Dark said trying to breath and clam himself down, "But…Haha, I thought…I thought I heard you say…that we were going to steal something…together!" He finished and burst out laughing again.

"…Yes…I did say that…" Krad said feeling an odd combination of shame and frustration, "…and I don't see what's so funny about it…" Krad said still maintaining his calm voice.

Suddenly Dark stopped laughing, Krad was serious? Dark stood still and stared at Krad in amazement! There were so many things he wanted to say, most of them teasing Krad, but suddenly felt that Krad wasn't joking about any of this…

"You're serious?" Dark asked still finding this a bit hard to believe.

"Look…I have no care whatsoever for humans…but if these morons release whatever magic that has been laying dormant inside of that artifact…we may have a problem on our hands…and I personally find you enough of a problem to deal with." Krad stated feeling somewhat relieved that Dark was finally taking him seriously.

Dark stood still and silent for a while, all of this information had to sink in. So Krad wanted him to help him steal a Hikari magical artifact, and seal it before humans unleashed something that even Krad felt uneasy about? And the detective even agreed on this plan? And to top it off, Krad was asking him for help! Suddenly a smile widened across Dark's face.

"Count me in."

**Notes from the Author:**

WOOT! A plot is finally forming! XD Looks like Krad has gone from preventing Dark from thieving, to help Dark pull 'em off! Hope you all are getting sucked in! So until chapter 3, c-ya! AND THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS! XD


	3. The Blood of an Angel

**Chapter 3:**

The Horihoto University, one of the top archeological and art institutions in the world. It was little wonder why they chose such a place to study and catalog all of the ancient artifacts found in the sunken ship, and none more precious then the mysterious 'Immortal Chain', which didn't really resemble a chain at all, in fact it was a life like-sword shaped crystal. The piece was nothing short of breath taking, the craftsmanship was remarkably accurate, and each edge of the sword, though dulled somewhat after being submerged for so long in the ocean, was painstakingly precise. Etched into the hilt of the sword was some kind of ancient language that people of its time would have labeled as 'magical symbols', but as mankind well knows…there's no such thing as magic. But what astounded people the most was the blood red ruby in the center of the sword itself encased in the icy crystal, it gave off it's own magnificent sort of light even when no light was shinning on it, and now that the sea weed, barnacles, and other gunk of the ocean were effectively cleaned off of it, it shone some what brighter then when it was first discovered.

It was now well past midnight, the moon and star hung high in the sky and no one was around after the business hours. Deserted. Perfectly deserted was the university as the two angelic thieves landed on the roof of the archeological research building, one dressed in the purest of snow white, while the other was dressed in black darker then night. They were both silent to each other as they checked through the sky light to make sure no one was there, and like the rest of the campus, it was deserted.

"Whew…well looks like luck has spared anyone dumb enough to be hanging around here this late at night." Dark commented with a grin as he disarmed the alarm around the window and opened it up enough for the two angels to get in.

"Hmph…everyone except us…" Krad remarked as he dropped down into the darkened building soon followed by Dark who landed without a sound on the white marble floor.

"Aww, come on. It's not that bad! At least you've got me to share the night with right?" Dark said with a grin and hurried off after Krad who was walking quickly down the hallway to inspect the room.

"Yeah…right…" Krad said unimpressed and on a different train of thought.

"So…where are they keeping this thing, eh?" Dark asked scanning the room from ground level. They were on the fourth story of the University building and had landing in what looked to be a research lab with chemicals, lasers, and all kinds of odd machinery around.

"Tch…as if I know." Krad said with a snort, "All I know is it's here somewhere in this building…I can feel it's magical presence…even though it is faint…" Krad finished and wondered down a hallway lit up by the moonlight coming through the windows.

"WHAT?" Dark said with a sudden gasp, "Are you telling me we're gonna be wondering around here all freakin' night looking for this thing because YOU didn't do your homework? You have got to be the worst thief I have ever seen!" Dark nearly shouted.

Krad turned around and gave him a hard glare, "Well excuse me, Sir Professional Thief…but I don't exactly do this often…so shut up, stop criticizing, and help me locate this damn thing so we can get out of here!" Krad snapped and turned again from Dark who exasperatingly mumbled a few other things under his breath before following after the golden seraph.

Both of their hosts were fast asleep, which made this task a lot easier in the fact that it was easier without another voice inside your head telling you what to do. There was surprisingly little security, or at least Dark didn't have any difficulty disarming, and the farther they traveled through the darkened hallway, the stronger the sense of the Hikari magic became.

"We're getting close…" Krad said as a sudden shiver went up his spine and he stopped short and silent.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Dark asked curiously as he looked over at Krad who was trying to shake himself out of his icy stance.

"…N-nothing…I'm fine…just don't fool around tonight alright? We go in there, get this thing and go…got it? No phantom thief crap tonight…understood?" Krad growled to his counterpart with a hint of worry and fear in his voice.

Dark sighed and crossed his arms disappointedly, "Yeah, yeah…we went over this already remember? Geez…" Dark replied with another bored sigh.

"Just making sure I got my point across." Krad replied and continued on down the white marble hall.

Daisuke was so content, his body felt so well rested and finally he was able to wake up. God, did he ever need that long and peaceful night's sleep! And he didn't dream at all throughout his rest. Dark could feel Daisuke's consciousness stirring, and glad to see that Daisuke was well rested and finally awake.

'Welcome back, sunshine! Sleep well?' Dark asked the young man with a smile.

_'Hn? Oh hey Dark…' Daisuke replied with a yawn and returned his second soul's smile, 'Yeah…I feel a lot better now, remind me to thank Satoshi later…' Daisuke said and settled back down in the back of Dark's mind._

'Hehe, yeah sure, no problem, but right now he's kind of busy.' Dark replied with another chuckle.

_'Busy?' Daisuke said then looked around through Dark's eyes and saw the unfamiliarity of their surroundings. 'Uh…Dark…where are we?'_

'Hehe, Horihoto University, we're on a mission…with Krad.' Dark added with a devious grin, 'and don't start yelling at me, because this was his doing for once.' Dark said with a smirk.

_'His doing? You mean…you and Krad are working of stealing something…together?' Daisuke said in a shocked and bewildered voice._

'Yep! The angelic one has finally come around to the 'Dark Side', Hehe, what do ya think of that?' Dark asked with a proud expression.

_Daisuke could barely believe his ears! And Satoshi agreed to this, he must have, or Krad would never have been doing this. But even though he'd never been to Horihoto University…something about this place felt so…unpleasantly familiar. 'Dark…what exactly are you two trying to steal tonight?' Daisuke asked wearily._

'I don't know…some Hikari piece…one way or the other I'd have to steal it, right? I'm sure Emiko has found out about it by now and is already writing up the letter to those buffoon's you all affectionately call police officers…' Dark replied as if it was no big deal.

_'Dark, what is the name of the piece?' Daisuke asked annoyed._

'I don't know… 'Immortal Chain' or something like that…' Dark replied annoyed as well at all of the questions.

_'Immortal Chain'? Something suddenly shuddered within Daisuke…that name…why did it make him so uneasy? Suddenly he looked up again through Dark's eyes and everything became clear…his dreams were no longer nightmares…they were reality! 'D-D-Dark…' Daisuke stuttered as he recognized the same blackened hallway with the silvery-lit room ahead._

"This is it," Krad said suddenly, "It's in this room up ahead."

"About time…I was getting so sick of this hallway." Dark said with a relieved and exasperated breath.

Then they came to the edge of the black hallway, and only a step away from a hauntingly beautiful silver glowing room…and there…at the far end of the room in a tall glass case sat standing upright, 'Immortal Chain'. It's blood red ruby in the center of the blade gave off a soft and warming light, even though it made Dark's magic tingle in a defensive motion.

_'Dark…Dark please listen to me…Turn back! Get out of here now!' Daisuke said trying to comprehend how his nightmares could possibly manifest themselves like this, his tone was of urgency and quiet fear._

'Geez, relax Daisuke!' Dark hissed getting annoyed with Daisuke's paranoid rambles.

_'NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! Dark, Dark, DARK!' Daisuke screamed trying to stop Dark from moving forward. Dark was almost there, one more step and he'd be in that room, and according to Daisuke's dream…one more step and he'd be gone forever. But Dark shock his head annoyed and took that last step forward into the silver lit room… 'DAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK!'_

* * *

'…There…you see Daisuke? Nothing happened…now will you please clam down and stop worrying so much?' Dark grunted as both he and Krad walked over the large space between them and the sword.

_Daisuke fell silent, he couldn't believe this…had his nightmare simply been that…a nightmare? Dark was now a little less then half way into the silver-lit room and he was still with him. However, something still felt uneasy with Daisuke and his fear only lessened slightly._

Krad looked over at Dark who seemed to be rather annoyed and oddly silent, "Did Daisuke just wake up?" He asked emotionless.

"Yeah…and he's paranoid…Geez, I swear, he's going to be like this for all eternity, I'll kill him myself if his screaming doesn't kill me first…" Dark growled and then sighed, "Let's just get this over with…Dai's just killed any enjoyment I would have gotten from this little outing."

Krad only chuckled, slightly amused at Dark's rather childish attitude towards the situation and his host's odd behavior. He'd never seen him so annoyed with Daisuke and decided that it was one of those rare moments between the two. "Very well…as you wish." Krad replied still grinning in amusement, which ticked Dark off even farther.

Just as Dark was about to say something back to Krad his body suddenly froze. He couldn't move, and from the looks of it, neither could Krad. "Wha-…what the hell…is…going…on…!" Dark said the best he could as his mouth was refusing to move much at all.

_Daisuke was speechless inside of Dark's mind, this was exactly like his dream, and he couldn't bear to truly lose Dark forever! No…this couldn't be happening!_

"I…I don't…know…" Krad barely got out as the red stone in the center of the sword began to glow brighter and fiercer.

'The magic must have activated itself defensively! What the hell kind of artifact is this?' Dark growled frustrated at himself for not sensing this earlier.

Suddenly there was a flash of light beside Dark and he looked over to see that Krad had activated his own counter curse to the powerful Hikari magic and held out a white feather, suddenly Dark's muscles felt like pudding for a moment before he could regain control of his movements.

"Dark, are you okay?" Krad asked only slightly glancing at the dark angel, as most of his attention was on the now malevolently glowing sword.

"Yeah I'm fine…damn it…why couldn't we sense it?" Dark growled and whipped out his own feather.

"I think after about two hundred years of dormancy, it's been weakened by time and now only has a limited reach of it's magic." Krad said after deciding that this was the most logical of reasons.

"Well, who cares now…let's just seal the damn thing." Dark said glaring at the sword as his defensive magic switched to offensive, making the gem within the sword glow fiercer and more dangerous.

_'Dark, now that you can move I beg of you to leave here now!' Daisuke screamed in a panic._

'Grrr…NOT NOW DIASUKE!' Dark shouted as he leapt out of the way of a fiery blast of light from the blade that shattered the glass incasing it.

Krad's wings suddenly flared open and he stood adamantly beside Dark, "Make yourself useful Dark and cover me until I'm finished with this spell!" He commanded as he held a white feather in hand, "The spell might take a while, but I'm the only one of us with the power enough to cast it…Hehe, think you can manage?"

"Hehe, no problem Moi Capitan! Just hurry it up will ya?" Dark replied with a smirk and blocked a blast of fire aimed for Krad, the one the magic must have seen as the biggest threat. "Oh no ya don't…you want a piece of him, you'll have to go through me!" Dark said triumphantly defiant to the hellish glowing crystal.

A duel between black feather and fire ensued, Dark was able to hold his own in blocking every blast possible, but Krad was taking a long time and Dark was getting more and more drained as it took more and more energy to block the ever power growing beams of fire. "Hurry it up Krad! Or do you want to switch places?" Dark growled, as he finally had to dodge a blast instead of block it due to its desperately intensified power.

Krad didn't respond, nor was he paying attention to Dark's situation, he was fully concentrating on his spell, and was nearly done…until…

"GAAAAAH!" Dark screamed as a crimson blast of fiery magic blasted into his now completely weakened defense and came crashing down to the ground bleeding through his newest wound.

_'DAAAARK!' Daisuke kept screaming as Dark's lifeblood began to pour out onto the floor…the bloody floor…no…no this wasn't happening!_

"…Dark!" Krad said as his eyes snapped open with all concentration of the spell broken and the feather fell to the floor forgotten. He quickly turned around to Dark who was trying his best to stand back up even though his side continued to bleed, "Dark!"

Dark growled and coughed a bit, "Will you two stop screaming my name like that! My God, why…why can't you two just shut up?" Dark yelled now extremely ticked but alive.

Suddenly Krad was acutely aware of a sudden drop of the 'Immortal Chain's' power levels, and quickly he turned to it, "What the…?"

Then the entire room went from a soft silvery color…to a blood red color. The floors, walls, windows, even the light from outside seemed to be painted with a frightening blood red color as it flooded into the room…but no spot in the room was darker then Dark's blood that now bathed the floor.

Suddenly, as quickly as the sword's energy had dropped…it surged back upward with a roaring intensity that was reflected in the horrible image of black fire!

**("_Suddenly Daisuke couldn't breath, he felt frozen from head to toe, his brain was screaming for him to run but he couldn't move. Suddenly it happened…the one thing he feared more then death itself…the same event that plagued his thoughts every night…and though it only took a second, Daisuke felt like it was an eternity of pain. The sword shaped beam of black fire that blasted into his chest and drained him of the only warmth he had left in his body…The horrible monster ripped out his second soul and left him horrified, alone, and cold!")_**

_The scene kept playing over and over again in Daisuke's head as the horrible black fire came racing towards the wounded Dark! No he couldn't bear this sight, not again, not ever! He wanted to scream out to Dark, to jump out of Dark and shield him, but suddenly he was frozen, speechless, and from head to toe felt nothing but the icy grip of fear…he was going to lose Dark…and once again…there was nothing he could do about it…_

"DARK!"

Somehow and outside voice had reflected Daisuke's desperate desire to call out to Dark, but who? Before Daisuke could get a good look, a horrible black then blindingly white light flooded his vision and both he and Dark were forced to turn away. The sound of roaring magic clouded their ears, almost to the point of deafening…then all at once…it stopped. The light was gone, the horrible sound vanished, and the horrible dark aura was gone. Were they dead? Was this what…one feels before dying? But then a sudden shock wave of pain from Dark's injured side brought them both to the realization that they were both very much so alive…

"…No…" Dark said starring at horror at the floor in front of him.

Daisuke couldn't see at all yet, his eyes were shut tight as tears poured out of them…Dark was still here…he could still hear his voice, however mortified it was, and feel his warmth…but he was compelled to look, and the sight horrified him as well as Dark.

The sword was no longer hovering over its shattered display case…but was now embedded within the gut of the floored and lifeless golden haired angel.

"…KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Dark felt himself scream in unbelievable shock and horror.

_'…' Daisuke was speechless. Everything up until now had been in his dream…his vision…but it wasn't Dark that lay dying on the floor ripped out of himself…it was Krad…and Satoshi lay not to far away staring horror struck at the seemingly unreal sight before him. Krad and Satoshi had been separated from each other!_

Dead silence hung in the room for what seemed to be eternity; none of them could or wanted to believe the sight before them, but the sound of foreign voices and quick paced footsteps running towards them from the hall brought Dark back to the harsh reality he now faced and instinct and logic took over the madness he felt inside.

"The sounds of the explosion came from down here, hurry!" A man's voice called out as he and three other men entered the now the completely destroyed room where the most recent artifact was being studied. But the room was completely empty of whatever it was that caused the explosion, and lying down lifeless on the floor was the 'Immortal Chain' sword with a black feather resting beside it.

"What the-" One of the men commented in bewilderment as he bent down and lifted up the black feather, "…Was Dark here?"

* * *

**_Notes from the Author:_**

OMG! KRAAAAAAAAAAAD! **Cries** How could I let this happen! Though it was incredibly nice of him to take the sword for Dark…sniffles I rather like Krad! **Cries** NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Thank you so much for all the comments! Hope you like the story so far! And there's still more to come! So until then…ta-ta!


	4. The Lost Soul

**Chapter 4:**

The Niwa household felt so empty. It was well past two o' clock as Emiko and Daiiki sat alone in the living room on the chairs next to the fireplace. It was well past time for Daisuke to have come home, and a call from the school saying that her son had left early had made her suspicious and worried. Daiiki sat calmly sipping his tea parallel to his nervously impatient daughter and chuckled slightly remembering when his own mother would sit in worried wait for him to come home after a mission…but then again…Daisuke shouldn't be out on a mission. The two sat in the silent house with only the crackling of the fireplace to sooth them as they waited for the youngest Niwa to return home from God knows where. It wasn't like Daisuke to take off without a word like this…he would have at least called or stopped by to tell his mother where he was going…but this time, they hadn't heard nor seen anything of the young man since he went off to school yesterday morning.

"…Emiko…" Daiiki said quietly after he had sipped some more of his tea, "You shouldn't worry yourself to death like this…it won't make Daisuke come home any faster, why don't you go off to bed and I'll wait up for Daisuke?" Daiiki proposed looking into his daughter's worry stricken and exhausted face.

"N-no…I…I have to wait up for him…what if he's hurt? Or lost? Or…or in some grave danger! Or…" Emiko stammered only to be silenced by the elder man standing up and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"That's enough Emiko…" He said kindly and smiled, "Daisuke's a good kid…he'll find his way home one way or another. Now off to bed with you…I'll stay up for Daisuke and make sure his back in your arms in one piece in the morning."

How could Emiko argue with that? Her father always seemed to have a way to put her mind at ease with his wise smile and his kind words…not to mention Emiko had been in an uproar all day ever since she heard that Daisuke was missing from school. Suddenly her father's words caused her iron will to bend and she nodded and walked away to the upstairs room, then stopped and turned back to the gray haired man, "Make sure to scold him for me…won't you, dad?" Emiko asked with a small smile.

Daiiki chuckled and sipped some more of his tea, "Don't worry, I'll make sure to lay the law down for you. Good night, Emiko." Daiiki said with another smile as Emiko nodded and walked off to her room.

After a moment or two after making sure that Emiko was asleep, the smile from Daiiki's face faded, replaced by a frown. He knew that Dark would always protect Daisuke if he was in danger…but what if Dark was the one hurt…then who was protecting Dark? Could that be the reason they hadn't come home yet? Was Daisuke really in trouble? His answer came in the hair rising sense of magic that filled the room and then the sudden sound of wings clashing into the air as Dark magically materialized in the room and fell to the ground holding two figures in his arms. What caught Daiiki's attention the most though was the blood that was smeared all over Dark's body…and the fact that the two figures he held were none other then Daisuke's Hikari friend…and the Niwa's most formidable and dangerous adversary who was also drenched in blood.

"Dark…what happened?" Daiiki said in absolute shock as he gazed upon the sight before him.

Dark was on the ground on one knee, panting fiercely and tears were steaming down his face. He kept trying to speak only to have his words caught in his throat by tears and the harsh reality that he had to come to terms with what he'd just seen.

"…Dark!" Daiiki said and rushed over to him, careful not to get to close to the seemingly lifeless figure clad in white a red at Dark's side, "You're covered in…blood! What on earth happened to you?" Daiiki demanded in more shock then rage.

"…It-its…not...mine…" Dark managed to squeeze out as he led his gaze to Krad who was now bleeding less then earlier due to the fact he had little left to bleed from a through-and-through stab wound to his stomach, "P…Please…" Dark panted and sounded like he was almost begging, "Please…you have to…help him!" Dark shouted in a raspy voice as he was still choking on tears.

Help him? Help Krad? What on earth was Dark thinking? When he first saw Dark the first thing that came to mind was that Krad had done this to him…and then seeing Krad he'd thought that Dark had finally silenced his long time rival. But now he was begging to have his former host help save him?

Suddenly Daiiki looked up after hearing a gasp from behind Dark, Dark was to wasted of energy to look, but had a good guess who it was. Emiko stood at the entrance to the living room starring at Dark and the wounded child and demon he held in his arms.

"…Please…you…you have to help them…" Dark pleaded again now feeling as though he was going to faint, but not before he was sure that someone was going to help Krad. Though Daiiki, having faced Krad several times in battle, was hesitant to even respond to such an outrageous request, Emiko leapt forward without a second thought. To her, these two were no longer the Niwa's most sworn and hated enemies, it was an injured and clearly traumatized child, and a young man on the brink of death.

Emiko quickly knelt down beside Dark, and seeing that Krad was the most injured out of the three tended to him first, "His wound is deep…there will be little I can do other then clean it and bandage him up…he's lost a lot of blood but he's still hanging in there…" Emiko assessed then looked over at Dark wounded side, the area was burned with magic and looked painfully hot, but Dark followed her gazed and hid his side as best he could.

"I-it's…nothing…" Dark stammered and then looked back to Krad, "Help him first…please…" Dark pleaded again and held Krad closer.

Emiko wasn't sure why he wanted to save Krad so badly, but she didn't ask questions and time was of the essence, she looked back up at her father, "Dad, go get the clean bandages from the room upstairs…Dark are you well enough to help me lift him onto the couch?" Emiko asked quickly.

"Y-yes…" Dark said trying to catch his breath and bring himself under control, "Yes…I can help." He said and slowly began to rise. His side burned as if the sun were no more then an inch from his skin and he winced in pain, but refused to show any sort of weakness. If Emiko knew how really not 'okay' his wound was, she'd have dropped Krad without a second thought to tend to Dark.

After not to much effort, they laid Krad down gently on the couch after Emiko had placed some blankets down over the cushions, and the once softly colored blankets were now stained harsh blood red. Krad was still unmoving and lifeless…whiter Krad's face became the more frantic Dark's insides began to twist. Damn Krad! If he hadn't have stepped in front of that sword…oh God, what had he done? Dark screamed to himself and swallowed another lump of tears that were swelling in his throat. How could this have happened…and why would Krad have separated from Satoshi? Suddenly he remembered the young detective and looked over to him who was lying curled up on the floor seemingly unconscious.

Finally, Daiiki had returned with a first aid kit Emiko kept around for when Dark would come back a bit banged up from his missions, and though Emiko had some training on minor wounds…this was the most sever case she's ever had to treat, thank God that Krad's own healing abilities were kicking in and helping to close the wound…but why were they working so slow?

Emiko made quick work to remove Krad's trench coat and what was left of his shirt…the wound must have been a lot worse before Krad's magic began to heal it, for with the amount of blood he must have lost to be in this state, he wouldn't have survived this long. Emiko began to pull out the clean wrapping of bandages then turned to Dark and Daiiki, "Dad…take Dark into the other room and see to that horrible burn…leave these two to me…okay?" Emiko said and looked directly at Dark who was about to protest, but one look at Emiko's stern face made his mouth shut. She was right…Dark couldn't very well do anything to help Krad now…and his he didn't want to end up in the same position as Krad, he'd better have his own injury tended to. Plus…Emiko had that protective motherly posture about her, and Dark could trust that she would take care of the creepy boy and Krad as if they were her own…for that…Dark was glad.

Dark sighed in defeat and grabbed his side as it suddenly started to hurt again and Daiiki put his arm around Dark and lead him out of the room, and with one last glance back at Krad, Dark reluctantly left the room with the old man.

It must have been a full twenty minutes of silence between Dark and Daiiki since the old man began to wrap up Dark's left side. Dark just didn't have the energy to talk, much less anything to say to Daiiki…Daiiki was just feeling guilty with himself…he had hesitated to help Krad. He had been taught to hate Krad all his life and had the scars to prove it, but he was also taught that even when the enemy is down, you should never abandon them…especially when they can no longer hurt you and they are near death's front door. Krad must have had his foot half way in back then…and he didn't even make an effort to aid him, had Emiko not intervened…Daiiki was sure that Krad would have died right then and there on the floor…helpless and powerless.

"…Don't be so hard on yourself…"

Suddenly Daiiki was brought out of his thoughts and looked up at Dark who was looking at him sadly.

"…I don't blame you for hesitating…Krad's your old enemy…you've never known him to be any different…" Dark continued and gently leaned hi head back against the wall he was leaning on.

"…Yes…I know…but…I can't forgive myself for it." Daiiki said and finished wrapping the last bandage, "I was afraid of him…and my fear may have destroyed a life tonight…"

Dark winced at that thought but closed his eyes instead and refused to grieve outwardly.

"He was weakened…extremely…and even you, his greatest rival stood their and asked for me to help him…I who have only known him for a demon who shows no mercy and there for deserved no mercy…" Daiiki said with a sigh and lowered his head; "I was willing to let him die like that…because I was afraid to believe him to be different…so…I apologize, Dark." The old man finished and a long silence continued between the two for a while longer.

Dark really couldn't blame Daiiki for feeling that way…at one time, he even felt the same thing towards the ice demon. But now…now that the ice demon was no longer an unmerciful monster, he couldn't help but feel guilty himself for having those feelings in the past. If, and he prayed to God he didn't, Krad died tonight…he couldn't never blame Daiiki…no…he would blame himself.

_Daisuke could clearly feel and see all of Dark's emotions and thoughts, he really did care for Krad a lot more then he had once thought. Daisuke couldn't help but feel sympathy and remorse for his second soul…and the demon he had feared for so long…this was the second time he almost lost Dark, and the second time Krad had stepped in to prevent his worst fear from coming true. Last time it only cost Krad a duel with the devil…this time, it damned him to join him. Daisuke felt so horribly relieved…yet so terribly guilty…relieved that Dark was still with him and safe…but guilty for knowing that it was only because Krad gave up…maybe his life._

_Daisuke wanted nothing more then to comfort Dark and try to put his mind at ease, but he couldn't think of anything to say…Dark had shielded himself behind a wall of worry and guilt._

Finally both Dark and Daiiki looked up to see Emiko standing in the entrance way to the hall where the old man and the phantom thief stood. Her face looked horribly grave, and her hands had some of Krad's blood on them…Dark began to feel as though his worst fear had come to pass.

"…How are they?" Daiiki asked being the first one to speak.

Emiko stood silent for a while, and Dark barely breathed. "…Satoshi will be fine…he only has a slight head wound from what looks to be when he was…separated from Krad and hit a hard surface…he's still unconscious and no doubt in a world of shock…" Emiko said softly still looking at the floor.

"…And Krad?" Dark asked fearfully but in barely a whisper.

Another long silence ensued over the three, even Daisuke held his breath, "…I…" Emiko began with a sigh and then looked directly up at Dark sadly, "I don't know of a lighter way of putting it…so I'll just say it…" Emiko said and stood a bit less intimidating, "His…his body will live…though…I'm not sure for how long…"

Both Daiiki and Dark stared at her confused… 'His body will live'?

"What are you saying Emiko?" Dark said standing straight up to face her.

"…A body can't live for long…with out a soul…Dark."

Dark's eyes widened… 'With out a soul'? Krad's…Krad's soul was gone? No…no this couldn't be right, if Krad was still alive he had to have had his soul!

"That doesn't make sense!" Dark nearly screamed, "If he's still alive then he has to have a soul! What the hell do you mean it's gone?" Dark demanded clenching his fists.

Emiko looked at Dark softly, "Whatever you two fought…has separated Satoshi from Krad…and Krad from his soul…" Emiko said gently, "His body is alive…but his magic is fading and his wounds won't fully heal as quickly without it. His skin is cold as ice and I can feel no presence of a soul within him…he's just…he's just a lifeless body…and without a soul…that body will die." Emiko finished trying to be as honest…and gently as she could. But to Dark nothing could make this situation any better no matter how anyone put it. Krad's soul was gone…and without it…he was going to lose his angel…

Forever…

**Notes from the Author:**

Oh damn are my cliffies good! XD **sniffles** BUT MY KRAD-SAMA IS DYING! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! **Sniffles**

Well until chapter 5, thanks for the comments and reading! SO for now, c-ya!


	5. Submit

**Chapter 5:**

_The feeling of being torn from ones host is a feeling one never forgets or wishes to ever experience again. It is like feeling the icy claws of death grab you by the heart and yank you forward out of the warmth and security of your flesh and blood being and thrust you into an eternal realm of freezing darkness, and even after three hundred years…you never get used to it. After Krad had stepped in front Dark, he felt the extreme burning heat of the blade penetrate him, and then…the horror of soul ejection that he had felt every time his host died…only to be reborn again in another. At first the experience didn't register with him, and then it felt mind numbingly painful, it was only after he regained his ability to think again did he understand what had just happened…he and Satoshi had been separated…he was alone, alone all over again in the darkness of oblivion. How could this have happened, unless Satoshi had been killed would…no…was Satoshi dead? The suddenly heart wrenching fear brought him slowly back to consciousness…his eyes opened slightly, though he couldn't really be sure as it was pitch black all around him, except for a faint glowing red light behind him, and felt a surge of pain through his sore and burning stomach where the sword had penetrated him._

_"…S…Sato…" Krad could barely speak and his voice sounded so foreign to him, and he felt so cold…where Satoshi's warmth would have been, there was now a void…and he had the urge to scream out to his distant host, but his voice failed him. He was panicking inside and grieving for the thought of Satoshi's death…but then another thought struck him. If the reason he was here was indeed because Satoshi was dead…then why was he still alive? Able to feel pain? Whenever his former hosts died and they were separated, Krad would have been put back into dormancy and in a temporary state of death, so…how was all this possible?_

_It was true that Krad had little energy left to even breath with, but as he tried to move his arms, he couldn't! He tried again to pull his arms forward, but they were bound with a tight and powerful magical seal and out stretched to his sides, and his ankles were bound with a similar seal leaving him locked in a state like a cross. This confused him further and thinking too much was hurting his head, if he was really dead then why was he bound like this? And why the hell was he so tired?_

_Slowly a soft white glow appeared in front of him and then materialized into the soft silvery aura surrounding a tall male figure. Krad could barely lift his head to look up and his vision was still blurry, but for some reason he felt no malice in this being's presence and relaxed a little._

_"Good, you are awake…I am glad to see this." The man said with an, almost, pleased tone as he walked closer to Krad and stopped in front of the bound angel. Krad was now able to lift his head higher and get a good look at the other spirit; he was dressed in knightly attire, suitable for a high middle-ranking member of a lord's court, Krad recognized the time period as well, this spirit might have been from around his first one hundred years of life. But what stood out the most was the family crest on his breastplate…the Hikari family crest._

_"…Hmph…and why's that… Sir Knight?" Krad asked tiredly and fought to keep himself awake and alert incase this 'sir knight' suddenly decided to run another sword through him._

_"Please, call me Damous…Sir Damous uth Magnus to be exact, but you may just call me Damous." He replied with a friendly smile and continued to look Krad over for any other signs of injury other then his slightly burnt stomach._

_Krad was silent for a moment trying to see if he recognized the name…but even if he had, he was to tired to remember, and for some reason, there seemed to be little he could remember from that time period, how strange._

_"…I'd ask for your name, but I already know who you are, Lord Krad Hikari, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Damous replied after seeing that Krad was struggling to remain conscious enough to listen, let alone speak._

_"…So…you've heard of me…" Krad said with little enthusiasm in his voice, "…Being of the Hikari family…I'm not surprised…" Krad finished then fell silent again._

_"Oh, well…" Damous began again with a bit of a chuckle, "I do not bare your family's great name or title, but I do serve them." He finished._

_"Hehe, don't you mean…did?" Krad replied, as Satoshi was the last of that… 'noble' family._

_"No…I still do and have for the past two hundred years…and will continue to do so as long as my mistress requires me to." Damous replied proudly._

_'His mistress'? Krad thought to himself again feeling the faintly pulsing red light behind him. 'This isn't making any sense…' Krad growled to himself._

_"Let me explain," Damous began and looked over at the red light behind the bound angel, "Your soul is now inside the 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro'(1)… or as human's call it, the 'Immortal Chain'." Damous said as he continued to look upon the red glow behind Krad, Krad's eyes opened wider and fell silent for a moment._

_'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro'? The name sounded so familiar…why?_

_"Hehe, I see you have heard of it?" Damous said pleased, "I wouldn't be surprised…after all, you are a Hikari."_

_Krad glared over at the knight, "Don't ever call me by that name…" Krad hissed and the burn on his stomach began to hurt with a fierce and only sudden intensity._

_"I do not think it is wise to anger my mistress…she tends to be quick and harsh to punish." Damous replied with a saddened nod._

_Krad hissed again in pain until the burning sensation subsided, "So then get to the point…why the hell did you tear me out of my host and lock me in this damn sword?" Krad growled dangerously._

_"Now, now…no need to rush and get excited." Damous said calmly and walked back over to stand in front of Krad, "My mistress invited you here, and you took her invitation by coming to the place the humans brought her. But you angered my mistress when you came with another…and she was even more furious when you tried to seal her."_

_"Well, forgive my rudeness…" Krad said bitterly and sarcastically, "But I didn't exactly come for the pleasantries…"_

_Damous shrugged, "That is sad to know…because you have been bestowed a great honor, I thought you'd be pleased." The knight replied._

_"Great honor?" Krad growled._

_"Oh yes." The knight replied with a smile, "With your soul, we can now break the curse on this blade and set free my great mistress, and after all, you are only a creation of the Hikari's to be used for their benefit, right? So you should be glad and willing to serve your purpose."_

_'Only a creation of the Hikari's'… '…To be used only for their benefit'… 'To server his purpose'…_

_"…I serve…no one…" Krad growled venomously to the spirit and he could feel his rage restoring his energy slightly. Oh how he wished he could have just slaughtered this knight to shut him up. He spoke that that cursed family as if it was a privilege just to say the name! Oh how he longed to send him and his glorified 'family' to hell for all of their blasphemous deeds. They thought they were gods, the puppeteers of people's lives, and the judges of who lived and dies…he was glad that that abominable family was extinct, his only regret was not whipping them out himself._

_Damous smiled, "My mistress told me you'd say that. She also said that you wouldn't submit to her willingly, a pity, you could have saved yourself a lot of pain if you'd just bowed down and served your purpose." Damous said and looked back to the red light._

_"I WOULD RATHER DIE THEN BOW DOWN TO ANOTHER DAMNED HIKARI! Who the hell is this mistress you speak of?" Krad demanded, "Let her come out here herself, and I'll show her what my true purpose is!" Krad yelled and wanted to throw a punch, but the restraints tightened the more he resisted them._

_Damous's eyes narrowed, "My duty in life was to protect my Mistress from any harm…and even in this state I will keep to my purpose…" The knight replied and drew his sword from its scabbard; the blade pulsed with magic…enchanted dark magic. "And so shall you keep to yours."_

_"Hehe, is that a threat?" Krad asked wickedly amused, "I don't know who spawned you…but I am the most powerful creation of you beloved, Hikari's magic…and plus, I don't think it's in your knightly code to strike an unarmed foe…am I right?" Krad said with a smirk._

_"True." Damous said and then returned with his own sneer, "But the day my knights betrayed my lady and I…was the day I disowned all oaths but the one to my Mistress…and she says that the sooner you submit, the sooner she will be free. So this is you last chance, demon…Submit willingly…or I'll make you submit painfully." Damous said with now a serious expression and blade held firmly. "One way or another you will surrender your soul…"_

_"And if you mistress is as great as you claim, then why not just take my soul instead of asking so nicely?" Krad asked curiously._

_Damous smiled again, "Because a soul that is forcefully taken cannot be easily controlled…not even the strongest of white magic or the black arts can help that…and you are indeed a powerful spirit, demon, even if you are just a spirit." Damous replied._

_"Well then, since I find your, 'mystery master', extremely rude for not meeting her guest in person…I think I'll just have to give her a hard time in the matter won't I?" Krad said and a sharp pulse emitted from the light behind him._

_Damous was silent for a while and then looked at Krad sadly, "A shame really…personally, I would not like to fight someone who is unable to fight back…but perhaps you'll change your mind if I told you that each second longer you resist…more of your memories are erased…your creation, your victories, your defeats, your friends, anyone you love…wouldn't you rather die being able to remember who you were in life then die without an identity?" Damous asked sadly._

_Krad grew silent for a while; this now explained his inability to recall the name and magical properties of the sword…lose all his memories? Forget every horror and tragedy he'd gone through in his life? Forget the torture and the pain of his existence? Friends? What were those? He didn't have any to remember any way. He would have been thankful to get rid of all of those horrid memories…back then…he would have given up all his magic to forget them all…wasn't it ironic now, now that he and Satoshi had learned to trust each other and co-exist, now that his three hundred year old hatred for the one thing he now loved more then life had ended, now that he had grown to love…Dark…wasn't it ironic that now, after finally being able to have and experience good memories that they would all be taken away? Krad chuckled at the thought, his existence was only meant for tragedy and sorrow after all._

_"…I could care less…" Krad said finally after a long time of silence, "Take them all if you want…but I'm keeping the one thing that does belong to me…" Krad said and glared at the knight before him, "And that's my soul!"_

**Notes from the Author:**

WOOOOOOOT! I finally put chapter 5 up! Sorry for the delay, but I had a bunch of college stuff to take care of, and job hunting…so um…hehehe, don't expect my fast updates to often. I promise to try as hard as I can though!

Thank you for all the comments and support! **hugs and kisses to you all** Till next time farewell!


	6. Final Resting Place

Chapter 6: 

Dark had been sitting alone next to Krad since he'd heard Emiko's diagnoses, and now that he had the time to focus his mind, he came to the harsh realization that she was right…Krad's soul was gone…He couldn't sense his presence even if he was sitting right next to his body. Dark was still in disbelief about all this…he also blamed himself for it. If only he'd have taken the fight more seriously…maybe if he had moved out of the way sooner…what if he had…listened to Daisuke…Now that Dark thought about it, he had yelled at Daisuke when he was trying to warn him…he had ignored his host…and it cost him his lover's soul.

Daisuke and Dark had done a temporary separation in which Dark could project himself out of Daisuke for as long as his energy let him…and Daisuke thought it was best if Dark had some time alone with Krad…since no one was sure how long it would be until Krad faded away. Daisuke however was also concerned about another person affected by this tragedy…Satoshi.

* * *

It had been a while before Satoshi woke up, and he hadn't said a word since then. Daisuke had placed Satoshi in his room comfortably laying him down on the bed while the red haired young man sat in a chair by his silent friend and was silent himself…he wasn't sure if any words could even comfort some one who had lost their second soul, he knew that if he lost Dark…he most likely wouldn't have survived the night. But Satoshi and Krad were never as close to each other as Daisuke and Dark…in the beginning, having Krad torn from his body would have been a blessing…but now, he wasn't sure how Satoshi felt…he only looked so…lifeless. His face and skin were white, and he was slightly cold to the touch, he hadn't said a word and he stared blankly at a wall with his back to Daisuke, unmoving and silent. He'd been like this for hours and Daisuke couldn't help but feel for him…but in a way…he was glad that he hadn't ended up in the same state…and still had Dark.

Daisuke sighed and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"…It…hurts…"

At the quiet sound of Satoshi's voice Daisuke lifted his head and stared at Satoshi who was still turned away from him.

"…Wha-what hurts? Can I get you…anything?" Daisuke asked quickly and with worry written all over his face, yet relief that Satoshi had spoken.

"…When…Krad…was torn…from me…" Satoshi began again almost inaudible and stopped a moment and shuddered, "…it hurt…so much…" The young man then curled closer to himself and fought back the urge to cry for the cold and empty void that now ripped at his soul.

Daisuke didn't know what to say…but he knew, he knew how horrible it felt, for he had felt it every night he slept. But he always woke up to the warm glow in his soul, reassured that Dark was still there, for Satoshi, sadly, he had lived the nightmare…and awoke to only desolation where Krad would have been…the warm glow was gone.

"…I'm sorry…" Daisuke said after a while and hugged himself as he took a deep breath in and out, he had to tell Satoshi the truth, "…The…the blast…it wasn't suppose to take…Krad away from you…" Daisuke said hesitantly and fighting back tears, "…It was meant…to take Dark…away from me…"

Daisuke's dream had come true…but it had the opposite effect on Daisuke then it was meant to have…Satoshi was now suffering in his place. The guilt was welling up inside of him and ready to explode, but then he suddenly calmed himself down with the realization that crying wasn't going to solve anything…if anyone had the right to cry…it was Satoshi…and so far, he hadn't shed a single tear.

"…Don't blame yourself…Dai…" Satoshi's voice said softly cutting through Daisuke's thoughts, he still had his back to him, but Daisuke could tell he was fighting back the urge to cry, "…its all Krad's fault…that stupid bastard…" Satoshi finished bitterly and clenched his fists, digging them into the sheets, "That…that stupid bastard was doing what he wanted to do…regardless of what I said…"

Daisuke stared at him in shock; he'd never expected to hear this coming out of Satoshi's mouth.

"I told him…to finish the spell…I told him that…Dark could take care of himself…" Satoshi continued, obviously forgetting or just not caring who heard, "…He didn't listen…he never listens…" Suddenly Satoshi's voice was giving way to one of hatred and anger, "He was so close…to finishing that damn spell…only a few more seconds and…and he could have sealed that damn thing…"

Then Daisuke noticed Satoshi's body shake and rack with…sobs.

"But no…he had to turn around…and save Dark…" Satoshi said through clenched teeth as tears rolled down his face, "He had to turn back and…and…damn him…that stupid bastard!" Satoshi almost screamed and fell silent again expect for harsh sobs that he tried hard to suppress.

Then Satoshi froze as he felt arms warp around him gently. This body holding him felt so comforting and warm…and his anger was slowly slipping away.

Daisuke breathed calmly and held Satoshi for a while as he slowly calmed. "…Thank you…" Daisuke said softly and Satoshi remained in a confused silence still starring at the wall, "…if you…and Krad hadn't stopped the spell…and protected Dark…I would have lost him…you both, risked your own lives for us…" Daisuke continued and slightly tighten his hold on the now tranquil blue hair boy, "…Thank you…"

Right then…Satoshi felt as though he was dreaming, but this all felt to real…Daisuke lay there, holding him for a long time. The two lay there in the darkness of Daisuke's silent room finding comfort in each other's presence. Soon Satoshi felt warm and…safe enough to fall asleep…just having Daisuke there was the only reassurance he needed to feel that he was no longer alone, and would never have to fear that again.

* * *

Emiko and Daiiki were in Daisuke's father's old office, Daiiki was sitting in a chair looking to be deep in thought and rather confused while Emiko was sitting at the desk on the computer and looking something up in a few books. Daisuke had debriefed them on what had happened that night…from Daiuske's strange dreams to the actual events at the University, he had told them all except for Dark and Krad's newest relationship, before he took Satoshi up stairs to recover, leaving Emiko and Daiiki in shock and bewilderment.

"…I thought Krad saving Dark's life that night a month ago was a one time thing…from a temporary truce…" Daiiki said with a chuckle, "Who would have thought that after three hundred years…it would turn out to be a permanent one."

Emiko was to busy wrapped up in her research to pay attention to what he father was saying.

"…This is the second time Krad has saved Dark's life…Hehe, at least to my knowledge…" Daiiki mused and sighed starring at the floor, "…And I showed my gratitude by…hesitating to help him…when he needed it most…"

"If we don't return Krad's soul to his body, then it wouldn't have mattered whether or not you had jumped in to help, dad." Emiko said never missing a beat in he typing and then suddenly smiled and jumped, "This is it! My God! Finally, I've found it!" Emiko exclaimed as Daiiki quickly hurried over to her and stared at the screen, "Look dad, it's all here!"

Daiiki smiled, "Good work Emiko. So, what does it say?" He asked quickly.

"…According to this…it was made by a one, Shizuma Hikari, during the middle ages…" Emiko said reading the screen aloud, " Now known as, 'The Immortal Chain', was originally called the… 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro'…" Emiko said raising an eyebrow.

"'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro'?" Daiiki repeated, "That would explain why you had trouble finding it…but that name…" Daiiki said and began to slowly pace behind Emiko who continued to read.

"This rare and priceless artifact was said to be lost when a ship heading for England went missing under unknown circumstances somewhere in the ocean, only to be recently recovered by archeologists." Emiko went on, "Little is known about the original creator or why she gave her most prized piece the name of…"

" 'Final Resting Place'…!" Daiiki said cutting in and rushing over to the bookshelf scanning the ancient text.

Emiko looked over at her father curiously, "Um…dad…what are you doing?" She asked looking at Daiiki as if he'd gone insane.

" 'Final Resting Place'! That's why I didn't recognize the name or it's new shape!" Daiiki exclaimed rushing to another bookshelf looking for a particular book.

"New shape?" Emiko asked confused, "Dad, maybe you need some rest…no one's tampered with it for two hundred years…how much different could it have possibly looked? It's just a crystal sword…" Emiko commented looking at its picture taken during its recovery.

Finally Daiiki removed a book from the shelf and quickly opened it flipping hastily through the pages. Silence hung in the room until Daiiki smiled and walked over to Emiko placing the open book on the desk, "The 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro', isn't the sword…" He said with a grin as Emiko's eyes widened on the page of the ancient book.

"…It's the gem." Emiko said in amazement, "But…how did it get within the sword?" Emiko asked looking back up at her father as he took the book back to read the text.

"Shizuma Hikari was the elder sister of Damous Hikari, and I recognized the name of her brother as one of Krad's former hosts." Daiiki said looking up at Emiko, "One of the more wicked of the Hikari line, both he and his sister were lovers of the dark arts, arts that even their own family condoned as forbidden, the art of blood magic…exchanging flesh, blood, and souls for power." Daiiki went on.

"Performing dark magic of that level…" Emiko said deep in thought, "They must have been powerful…and extremely gifted with magic."

Daiiki nodded, "And with Krad in the younger brother's possession, that only magnified his capabilities, and according to this, he became more powerful then even his elder sister." Daiiki said returning to the book, "Though the two practiced this dark magic in secrecy, the family could see that tensions between the two were heightening over the years, and from what this also says…they became a threat to each other."

"But…wasn't Damous more powerful then Shizuma?" Emiko asked.

"Yes…and with that power he used his own sister's weapon against her…the blood red gem his sister had created with all of her power, and many sacrifices, so that she could trap her brother's soul and all of his power in it for eternity." Daiiki said reading on, "Finally when her brother's soul's prison was complete, he discovered it…and in turn trapped her soul within it instead…but…" Daiiki stopped and looked up at Emiko while closing the book, "But not before she used a magically enchanted crystal blade to slay him."

There was silence between the two for a while as Emiko let this new information sink in.

"So…the actual 'Immortal Chain' is the gem within the blade…the gem used to imprison its enemy's soul." Emiko said looking back at a picture of the blade…then she smiled, "That's it…that's where it is…!" Emiko said and jumped out of her seat.

"Hm? That's where what is Emiko?" Daiiki asked her curiously.

"Krad's soul! The gem imprisons the souls of it's enemies right? Weren't Krad and Dark trying to seal the gem's magic? Then wouldn't it perceive them as its enemies?" Emiko said speaking quickly.

"You're right!" Daiiki said following her train of thought, "So if we get the gem back, we might be able to use our own magic to return Krad's soul to his body!" Daiiki said and then his expression became serious, "but we don't have much time…"

"I know…" Emiko replied and began to rush quickly to the door to tell Dark the news, "With Krad's magical properties and the fact that the blast didn't kill his host…I'd say he has about three days at the most."

"I agree." Daiiki said trying to keep up with his daughter as she began to descend the stairs, "Maybe if we can get him down into the basement we can use our own magic to delay his body from fading away-" Suddenly the pair stopped as they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to the on television in the kitchen.

_"Officials state that no warning letter was sent to them, nor was the priceless 'Immortal Chain' taken from the University restoration laboratory. There is evidence of a struggle all around the room, but the only physical evidence found of the legendary Phantom Thief Dark…was a single black feather left behind…" The reporter said from the location outside of the University now bustling with cops, "But the University director is taking no chances and says that the recently recovered artifact will be kept safely under lock and key in an undisclosed location to prevent future theft attempts by the Phantom Thief or any other…Reporting live from…"_

Emiko and Daiiki didn't listen to any more. Their only chance at saving Krad was now gone once again from sight. A sudden wave of shock and defeat washed over them, until they saw a flash of black out of the corner of their eyes.

Dark stood by the entrance to the living room where Krad's body laid slowly fading, glaring at the television across the hall with his arms crossed and his expression hard and serious.

"…I'm going to find that blade…and return Krad's soul to him." Dark said in a tone of complete unwavering determination and coldness.

"…You heard us?" Emiko asked starring at Dark, a little frightened at his unusual behavior.

"Every word of it." Dark said not even bothering to look at them, "I need to get that blade back before the sun sets in two days right?" He asked emotionless.

"…Yes Dark…but, you heard…it's been moved somewhere…will you be able to find it in time…you only have two days…?" Daiiki asked also unnerved by Dark's unaltering stance.

Dark was quiet for a moment and then turned to the two with two almost crimson eyes and Emiko and Daiiki took a step back from him, "…I'll have it back in one."

**Notes from the Author:**

YAY! Chapter 6! XD Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments! WOW! I'm so glad to see you all like the story! Well, the plot thickens and the plan is set, to save Krad's life will Dark risk it all and complete the impossible with the clock ticking? Till next chapter! XD


	7. Promise of Heaven

**Chapter 7:**

_Time had no meaning in this dimension, death had no meaning, life…had no meaning, but pain did, at least for Krad. The constant bombardment of slashes, thrusts, and strikes was endless as the blade's wielder would never tier, and its victim would never die. But the blade was not the only inflictor of Krad's pain, the strangely malevolent glowing light from behind the bound angel was slowly seeping away all of Krad's memories. However, though the pain from the sword was far worse then the slightly cold mist that clouded his mind draining him of his identity and past, Krad knew he could do nothing to stop the blade and focused all of his energy on protecting his few precious memories. _

_This item was immensely powerful and could have taken any mortal soul without a problem, but Krad was a being of pure magic…powerful magic, and the only way to absorb Krad's soul…was to break it. An attack on the mind and body at one time was overwhelmingly painful and devastating, though Krad did his best to ignore the blood pouring out of him and the horribly burning wounds that now covered his body, once white clothes were torn and crimson, magnificent white wings, once graceful and awesome, were now broken and stained with red, were this dimension capable of allowing death, Krad would have died long ago. But the everlasting agony of life in this place was suffocatingly harsh and real, Krad in fact did want to die…but he wanted to die with his few precious memories in tact, memories of his kindest host, memories of being free to live with a will of his own, memories of…of…Dark. If nothing else…he wanted to keep his memories of Dark, if there was a god listening to him at that moment, he begged to be able to die with the memory that he loved someone…and was loved in return._

_"How much longer do you think you can hold out Krad?" Damous asked as he sharply ripped his blade from Krad's gut causing the fallen angel to bit back a scream of pain and cringe, "All of this pain could end, no more suffering…isn't that what you want?" The knight asked in admiration and irritation at Krad's stubbornness to give up and submit to his wicked mistress._

_"…Tch…" Krad coughed out with a smirk, "…Guess that's another horrible trait I inherited from my… 'Great family'…" Krad said with a slight chuckle, as it hurt to even breath._

_Damous looked up at the angel as their eyes met, cold and lifeless human eyes with rebellious golden feral, and the knight returned the smile, "Indeed. It would seem so. Your resistance is admirable…but foolish. One way or another you'll have to give in, why not save yourself the trouble?"_

_Krad was silent for a while and unbelievably tired, but he never took his eyes from the knight and glared at him, "…As long as I have something to live for…I'll do just that…and live." The ice demon growled adamantly._

_"Once you've forgotten everything, I wonder if you'll still remember what it is you're suffering for." Damous replied coldly and raised the blade again. He knew Krad must have at least forgotten the last two hundred years of his existence, names, faces, victories, and defeats, all forgotten the longer he chose to remain unbreakable, the more he began to lose. It wouldn't be long before Krad became nothing more then an empty soul with no identity, past, or memories…nothing but a broken and dying light in the darkness…and then, that light would go out, swallowed whole by the dark._

_"…" He was right…Krad could barely remember the faces of his former hosts, names of the countless humans and demons he had met in his long life, he couldn't even recall how long he had actually existed! But he remembered Satoshi's face, Daisuke's, and Dark's…and he knew his energy was fading…soon these memories would fade too, and the thought made his chest tighten and his heart constrict. To lose those would be to lose his reason for staying alive. "…Well…I haven't forgotten them yet…" Krad said in a barely audible voice and returned to looking back at the knight, "So don't expect me to break any time soon."_

* * *

Daisuke was silent in front of Dark as the two stood facing each other outside on Daisuke's balcony as Satoshi slept just inside. Dark had told Daisuke everything…including the terrible reality that Krad's body would soon fade away unless his soul was returned, Satoshi would be devastated…and so would Dark.

"…So you're saying we have to retrieve that sword…or else…?" Daisuke asked looking up at his second soul as Dark stood leaning against the railing with his arms crossed, his face was grave and to be honest, no matter how hard Dark tried to hide it, …scared. The phantom thief nodded sadly and looked out into the sun-bathed city below.

Daisuke followed Dark's gaze out over the city and sighed, "…You weren't powerful enough last time to seal it on your own…do you think you can handle it without…Krad?" Daisuke asked turning back to Dark who was still looking out to the nearly deserted area below, as it was now noon and everyone was at work or at school.

"…I won't let Krad die, even if I stand no chance. Regardless the out come…I have no choice." Dark said adamantly, "But…you do…and that's why, I have to ask you to do this for me." Dark replied with almost a silent plea tied into his words. "I can't let you take this risk against your will."

Daisuke nodded his head and then looked down at the ground for a while. Dark was actually giving him a choice, in the past Dark would have just done what he wanted whether Daisuke liked it or not…including coming into contact with the sword in the first place. However much Daisuke wanted to decline and stay as far away from the sword as possible…Dark was asking him for help, if he didn't do this Krad would be gone forever…Dark and Satoshi, the two people he cared about most in the world would be heart broken and devastated. And though it took a long time for Krad to gain his trust, he had come to accept Krad as a friend as well, and Daisuke Niwa would never abandon a friend in trouble. Against his better judgment, Daisuke smiled and looked back up at Dark who was now looking at him with fearful and saddened eyes.

"…Heh, we're a team Dark…and I don't plan to change that any time soon." Daisuke said with a reassuring smile, "So when do we leave?" Daisuke asked with the most sincere expression of hopefulness in his eyes.

A part of Dark wanted to leap forward and smother Daisuke with his deepest affections of thankfulness and relief. He had feared that Daisuke would say no because of his fear of the sword taking Dark the way it took Krad, but here Daisuke was, willing to face death and most certain defeat with him to save a creature that at one time in his life tried to annihilate him. The bond that he and Daisuke shared was so strong that Daisuke was willing to put everything on the line to help save Dark's other half, and he couldn't find any words to tell him, Thank you. All Dark could do was smile at Daisuke and give him a nod of approval, and Daisuke could read his every emotion from there.

"We're leaving for the museum…tonight." Dark said and stood up tall.

"I'll go tell mom to send out the letter…" Daisuke said as he was about to rush inside to tell Emiko, when Dark caught him by the shoulder. "Ah…wha…?" Daisuke stumbled in surprise and confusion as he looked up at Dark.

"Not this time Daisuke…" Dark said firmly, "This time, we're not doing it for the glory…" Dark replied as Daisuke stared at Dark in confusion, "We don't need those morons slowing us down when we're already racing the clock."

"But…well…" Daisuke began and then stopped, that did make sense, and the police would only slow them down…Daisuke nodded and then looked back inside, "…What about Satoshi?"

Dark looked at Daisuke a bit surprised and then looked inside to the still sleeping child in Daisuke's bed, "What do you mean?" Dark asked a bit confused as to Daisuke's vague question.

"I mean…what will happen…to Satoshi if…if we fail…?" Daisuke asked as a lump entered his throat and he quickly repressed it.

Dark hadn't thought about it, but then again he had never thought about failing. He supposed that if Krad did…fade away…Satoshi would end up like the rest of Krad's and Dark hosts after they were thrown back into eternal sleep, Satoshi would become normal and ordinary, or as ordinary as Satoshi Hikari could possibly be. Their old hosts would go on living long after Krad and Dark had departed…many times Dark would meet his old hosts again through their descendants. Krad on the other hand…from what the fallen angel had told Dark…would pray that he never met any of them again.

"…Daisuke, we're not going to fail." Dark said at first comfortingly then his tone hardened, "And don't you even for a second think that, got it?" Dark said glaring down at Daisuke.

Daisuke nodded quickly, but not because he feared Dark, for he knew that Dark would never hurt him, but to try and convince himself that they wouldn't fail, that even if the odds were against them…they would succeed. "Right, let's go."

* * *

A moment later they were down stairs, and one look at Dark's face told Emiko that Daisuke had accepted this impossible mission, but no matter what she said, Dark was going to go through with it…and so was Daisuke. Emiko and Daiiki had moved the lifeless Krad to the downstairs area where the Niwa family magic was preformed in hopes that the highly magical field around the ancient room would help sustain Krad long enough for Dark and Daisuke to get the sword back. However, Daiiki had made it very clear that though the magic will help keep Krad alive longer…it would only be delaying the inevitable unless the angel's soul was returned.

It was now some time around two or three before Emiko had found a vague blue print of the Director's suit in the University's mansion where the head of the school lived. Emiko had guessed that since this is the only area accessible to only one person, that the sword was hidden somewhere within it's walls. Daiiki was researching all he could on the 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro' in case it had anymore hidden talents, but very little was known about the prison for souls to begin with, and whatever he did manage to find was vague.

While Daisuke and Emiko were working on strategies, and Daiiki was researching, Dark was by Krad's side as the body of his other self lay motionless on the alter in the center of the magic filled room.

The Phantom Thief stood over Krad looking at him with saddened filled eyes and a painfully breaking heart. He couldn't live without the blond haired angel…neither could Krad live without Dark; he knew that's why Krad took the fatal hit for him…because he would have done the same. No matter how many times Emiko and Daisuke tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but want to kill himself for being so weak that he did nothing to stop this from happening. And now…he Krad lay, cold and empty…the only thing Dark was grateful for was that Krad could feel no pain.

Dark bit his lower lip as he felt the terrible wash of guilt and sorrow building up within him again. He wanted nothing more then to tell Krad how sorry he was even if it meant going through with this suicide mission. No matter what the cost, tonight, he was either going to die trying to get Krad's soul back, or have his own soul endure the same terrible fate that Krad's must be feeling at this exact moment. He chuckled at the thought, the great phantom thief, Dark Mousy, was actually admitting death and defeat before he had even fought the battle? If only Krad could see this now…would he be disappointed, or laughing at his greatest rival for more then three hundred years?

"…Looks like I'll be joining you soon, Krad…" Dark whispered to aloud and a sad smirk crossed his face, "One way…or another."

* * *

_Damous growled as he frustratingly pulled his blade out of Krad's chest, continuing to strike the fallen angel now was like butchering a punching bag. The screams of pain and agony had stopped long ago yet he knew Krad was still alive; in this dimension you couldn't die…only endure eternal suffering._

_"Mistress…this is no longer working…he is the most stubborn fool I've ever seen!" Damous yelled aloud, though secretly admiring Krad's perseverance, for even now in this state his mistress could not completely absorb him._

_The red light behind the angel harshly radiated and slowly faded back into its original glow._

_Damous bowed bitterly and looked back at Krad as he raised the sword again. He looked to be unconscious, but he knew that being unconscious in this world was as possible as death. Krad could hear, feel, and sense everything that transpired around him…though his energy was so dangerously low._

_Krad had grown to exhausted to acknowledge the excruciatingly painful assault from the blade, and he was now growing to tired to fight off the entity in his mind slowly draining his memories and his will to fight. He was vaguely aware of how he came to be in this pitiful state…sometimes he wasn't sure if he had really died and this was hell or not. Earlier he had even asked himself why he was resisting and enduring this nightmare a moment longer? But something inside of him was adamantly refusing to give in…something was telling him that he did have something to live for, but who the hell was worth all of this pain? Black wings? Dark hair? Wine colored eyes? For some reason this faded image in his mind gave him a reason to resist the overwhelmingly powerful temptation to allow himself to be swallowed whole by the cold and desolate darkness. But who was this? Who was this person that he could barely make out in his mind? He felt as though this person had once meant a lot to him…that this person was some how close to his heart…did he even have a heart? _

_'All of this can end now…the pain gone…the suffering gone…the agony gone…'_

_But…I want to know who this person is…_

_'Death can free you from this torment…release yourself from the chains of mortality and I will grant you peace…'_

_Is this my fate? Was I meant to die like this?_

_'Submit to my loving embrace…and I will allow you to have your eternal sleep…'_

_Sleep…I'm so tired…Peace? …Can heaven be granted in hell?_

_'Break your will…and I will break the chains that hold you to this place…submit to me, and Heaven will be yours…'_

_Heaven…Hmph…heaven is for angels…not demons…and therefore… A DEMON CAN NEVER GRANT ME HEAVEN!_

_'Refuse my will and suffer for eternity…'_

_However much Krad wanted to fold under the blissful words of the voice softly resonating in his head, he clung to that one image in his mind determined to live through this hellish nightmare and find out who this person was. But how much longer could he hold out? How long had he been here? A few hours, a couple days, a year, a century, an eternity? He couldn't remember, not that it mattered…perhaps he had done something so terrible in life that the gods had sent him to this ever lasting hell to atone for his sins. Then he would show them…he would survive this torment out of defiance! This was going to be his last stand, he was going to use every ounce of power he had left to kill this voice in his head, and if he failed…then the darkness take him._

**Notes from the Author:**

SORRY SORRY SORRY! **Cries** I know, I'm like super late on updating this, but I've been really busy getting ready for college, and a job, and scholarship crap, and books, and errands, and …Oi…I'm bushed…faints So forgive spelling and grammar errors…I had like half of this chapter finished for about 4 days and I was rushing to finish the rest so I could put it up. **Bows** Forgive me!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, because the next one will be a wild ride! Will Dark finally steal the 'Final Resting Place' or with the blade of vengeance steal his soul? And with Krad so close to breaking, will Dark even make it in time?

Till chapter 8! Bis Spatter! **waves**


	8. End His Pain

**Chapter 8:**

"Alright Daisuke, now pay attention," Emiko said quickly as she was zipping up Daisuke's body suit and the poor boy was struggling to stay still and listen to her while trying to keep himself upright due to Emiko's rushing, "You're best bet it to infiltrate the Director's mansion, try to sense the magic out on your own, and as a last resort move to interrogating the Director…but make sure Dark doesn't kill him." Emiko snapped as she nearly knocked Daisuke over after bolting to the table where she had the blue prints.

"Y-y-yes, mom!" Daisuke said catching his balance only to have a load of maps shoved in his face.

"The quicker you are the better off you'll be. Now listen carefully," Emiko said speaking faster then Daisuke could register, "The Director sleeps on the third floor of the place, which means his vault is either there, in the attic above, or in the basement below…try to search out these areas first before you resort to beating it out of him, got that Dai?" Emiko asked as she pulled the papers away quickly and Daisuke jumped. She pulled them away so fast he didn't even have time to read them!

"Mom…mom…mom, I'll be fine really!" Daisuke pleaded trying to calm her down from her rambling rampage through the room. In the end though Daisuke sighed, as she obviously wasn't listening. "…Man…why is it she calms down when Dark's the one in front of the firing squad and she pummels me with this…?"

"What was that Dai?" Emiko asked quickly glaring at her son.

"AH! Nothing, nothing!" Daisuke quickly said snapping to attention.

"Good, now remember to disarm the security cameras, traps, laser, systems…"

Daisuke stopped listening at 'good'. She said this before every mission, and it was already nine o' clock, he knew Dark would be anxious to get going, and Daisuke just wanted to get away from Emiko…she rather scared him when she did this.

"Um…mom…I think I'll just slip out and…go get Dark…" Daisuke muttered quickly and silently dashed out of the room. Emiko hadn't noticed for she was still rambling through some documents and barking out orders.

Daisuke made a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him and his mom hadn't seemed to notice yet, but his mind was elsewhere. Dark had been down stairs with Krad all day, and whenever Dark was gone for any period of time, it left a gap somewhere inside of him. He'd been contemplating of going down there since Dark left…but every time he worked up the nerve, he froze up at the door saying that Dark needed some time alone. But now with was already nine, and it was time to go, at least now he had an excuse to go talk to his other half.

Daisuke walked quickly over to the door that lead down to the basement, for fear of Emiko tackling him from behind and dragging him back to her debriefing. Daisuke shuddered at the thought and hesitantly opened the door.

The basement of his house always crept him out when he was a child, he guessed it was because of all the magic, but after being with Dark for so long, it didn't bother him anymore. But now he was trembling and scared, what if Dark got angry with him for disturbing him? Or what if he'd already left for the mansion on his own? He'd already spent half a day out of Daisuke's body and was no doubt low on energy, but then again, this room was filled with magic that would no doubt sustain him far better then it would if he were outside. Daisuke could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly and cautiously descended the stairs. The room was pretty dark except for the torches around circular wall below. The fire was magically lit and would stay that way unless a spell was cast, and gave off only enough light to illuminate the alter and the magical runes around it.

As Daisuke came to the bottom of the stairs he could see no sign of Dark, but he could see Krad. The soft light that filled the room reflected like a white and gold aura around him, and made him really look like a sleeping angel. Daisuke was awe struck at how beautiful the sight of Krad was in the magical light. His wounds had healed and left no trace of scars, his feathers were no longer stained red with blood, but were pure white again, and his skin had slightly retained some color. Looking at Krad, Daisuke suddenly forgot the whole reason for coming down here, or the fact that he was only looking upon Krad's empty body…and that the fallen angel wasn't sleeping, but dying.

"I know how you feel…"

At the sudden voice breaking the silence of the room Daisuke jumped and looked up to see Dark leaning against the wall also looking at Krad, but not with admiration and awe…but with sadness and heartache.

"…He looks so peaceful…like he's just asleep…and he'd wake up any minute…" Dark said sadly and didn't move, "…and no matter how long I stand here…watching and waiting for him to…he never will."

Daisuke looked at Dark for a moment in silence, he really did feel sympathy for his other half, his second soul, his friend. He knew that even though Dark was standing so close to Krad, he'd never felt farther away. He wanted to say something cheerful to make Dark laugh…or even smile…but no words coming from Daisuke could ever bring him that right now…only a word for Krad could.

"…He'll wake up…" Daisuke said finally looking back at Krad, "…Once we get the 'Immortal Chain' he'll open his eyes and everything will be right again, you'll see." Daisuke said with a smile, though his attempt was in vein.

"…" Dark was silent and continued to watch Krad from afar. No smile or grin crossed his face; his heart was to close to the breaking point for a smile. It pained Daisuke to no end to see him like this, but the only thing he could do about it was try and smile for him.

Dark closed his eyes for a moment as if he were saying a silent prayer. Then without a word he walked over to Daisuke and stood no more then a few inches from him. Suddenly Daisuke felt the warmth of Dark merging with him once again and smiled at the return of his friend.

'Don't worry Dark…I promise…we'll get him back.' Daisuke said softly to the Phantom Thief that was now safely waiting to emerge inside his mind.

Just before Daisuke was about to turn and leave, he looked back down at Krad, there was so much he wanted to say to him, but most importantly he wanted to thank him for saving Dark. His happiness and guilt were equally matched inside of him…happy to have Dark, but guilty to have Krad suffer for it. He almost didn't want to leave Krad here and alone…he looked so vulnerable and delicate, how could he turn his back on him and leave him in the cold darkness alone?

"I'll stay with him." Said a soft voice from behind.

Daisuke turned around to see Satoshi looking at him about a foot away.

"…After all…he is a part of me." Satoshi replied with a hint of sadness and tranquility tied into his words.

Daisuke looked at him at first with surprise, then he smiled and nodded. "…Thank you." Daisuke said and began to rush up the stairs, but before he reached the bottom step, he stopped beside the blue haired boy, "From both of us…"

* * *

A moment later Satoshi was alone with Krad. Little to Dark and Daisuke's knowledge, Satoshi had heard everything the two had said when Daisuke entered the magical room. Looking at Krad now, he felt a horrible emptiness inside of his chest where the demon should have been…but now the two were separated, unable to merge back together because Krad no longer had a soul to merge with. Satoshi stepped to the edge of the alter and looked down at his once most dreadful nightmare, who was now his closest companion. He did look like he was asleep, but Satoshi could feel that wherever Krad's soul was, it wasn't a peaceful place. He felt as though someone were running a sword through his soul every time he thought about the seraph, and he knew that somehow he was feeling Krad's pain.

"…If there is such a thing as God…hear me now…" Satoshi said in barely a whisper as he laid a hand on Krad's, it was so cold and lifeless and it tore at Satoshi's heart even more, "…Even if it means losing him…please…" Satoshi paused as tears began to stream down his face, "…End his pain…"

**Notes from the Aurthor:**

****

SORRY IT'S SO SHORT! But I really wanter to make the next chapter super long. Once again forgive spelling and grammatical errors...Kel is still trapped in the cycle of newly adult life...blah! THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND COMMENTS!


	9. Forgotten

**Chapter 9:**

It was already 10 o'clock when Dark flew over the Director's mansion, and when they said "mansion"…they weren't kidding. The building was four stories high and at least a football field and a half in length, finding anything in this place was going to be a challenge. Not to mention, the campus should have been completely deserted at this hour, but there were armed guards patrolling the ground constantly, and it didn't help the fact that they were smart enough to look upward and try and spot Dark. Dark however was smart enough to fly higher up, and thank God there were a lot of clouds tonight, and with his completely black outfit he might as well have been invisible.

The flight had been rather silent between the two; Daisuke only sat back and let Dark do as he pleased. Usually on a mission Dark would talk tough and cocky, and try to freak Daisuke out with sudden aerial acrobatic stunts, but Dark wasn't like his old self tonight…tonight, he was more serious then he'd been his whole life. Then Dark had stopped and hovered over the mansion looking down at it from up high.

_'That's it. Mom said that there should be a skylight somewhere on the roof, that will take us to the attic where we can start the search.' Daisuke said in Dark's mind, though for some reason he felt as though Dark wasn't listening. 'Hey…hey Dark! There's the balcony, land there-'_

Dark said nothing and suddenly made a sharp dive downward. Daisuke nearly flipped when Dark's speed increased to a suicidal decent.

'DARK! What are you doing you'll…!' Daisuke screamed in Dark's head the realized that Dark was going to completely over shot the landing point, 'You'll miss the roof!'

"I'm not aiming for the roof, Daisuke." Dark said and with a sudden and loud crack, Dark's black wings snapped open in a flash and his drop stopped with a loud thud as Dark landed crouched on balcony of the third floor where the Directors room was said to be.

_'DARK! Are you crazy, you'll be seen out here!' Daisuke yelled in a panic thinking that someone might have heard Dark's kamikaze landing._

"I don't care…It'll take to much time to search the whole mansion, and time is something we don't have." Dark said firmly as he looked up to the sliding glass door that was unusually open, "Plus…looks like someone knew we were coming anyway." Dark said glaring into the darkness of the room inside before he walked into it.

_Daisuke was in shock, someone knew they were coming? How was that possible, Dark didn't send out a warning letter? '…Just be careful…' Daisuke whispered and sat back again to let Dark have total control._

The interior of the mansion was dark; there weren't any lights anywhere only the soft glow of the moon illuminated some areas of the house. Dark figured that he had landed in a bedroom for there was a large four-post bed to his far right, and a bunch of sitting furniture including an armoire and a large mirror. The floor was soft and carpeted with red…and the oddest part was, the whole room was red! Red walls, red sheets, reddish colored stained furniture, even the drapes that softly swayed behind Dark from the window were red.

'…Dark, do you sense anything…because this room creeps me out…' Daisuke said with a shiver.

Dark continued to scan the room for any trace of humans or magic…he found neither. "No…there's nothing here…"

"Ahahaha, are you sure? Though I may not be a thing…I am most certainly here, Phantom Thief, Dark…"

Dark quickly whirled around, the voice was female no doubt, and suddenly he saw her…a woman with long dark hair dressed in a red silk dress, that was to say the least quite revealing, was sitting on the bed with one leg crossed over the other, smileing at Dark who stood quite a distance form her. How could he not have sensed her? After confirming that her presence was there, Dark could defiantly sense magic radiating from her…but the signature was so…familiar…

Though the light in the room was minimal, Dark could see her features perfectly. Her hair was long, about waist length, and black as night, her skin was a light and soft cream color, and her perfectly molded body was that of a fully build woman, Dark guessed she was twenty four or so. What Dark couldn't seem to get off his mind were her eyes, piercing and icy cold blue…eyes Dark recognized immediately, Hikari eyes.

"Welcome, Dark…I've been waiting for you for a while now, don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?" The woman asked with a soft giggle of amusement at Dark's narrowed eyes and defensive aura, "What…no hello? Though we've never been introduced in person…you have caused quite a lot of trouble for my family and I."

Dark smirked at the comment, "I didn't think there were any Hikari's left…other then the creepy kid…but I thank you for the complement." Dark replied with a slight bow.

The woman smiled and began to look Dark over, head to toe, clearly a handsome sight…but it wasn't really his looks she was interested in at the moment, but his soul. She smiled to herself and remained silently looking over Dark.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare, Miss?" Dark said crossing his arms and pretending to be annoyed, damn was she pretty, though his heart was only meant for Krad…it didn't hurt to flirt.

"Hehe, forgive me my dear Dark. I was just admiring how much stronger you've gotten since I last saw you in life." The woman replied and with a graceful wave of her hand the room softly illuminated with light, which in the room of red made everything look like a sea of blood.

"Last saw me in life? Does this mean I am being admired by a ghost?" Dark asked raising an eyebrow slightly.

"For the moment…" The woman replied with a grin and deliberately slipped off the bed in a seductive manner, her dress was slit on the left side exposing her long legs as she walked, not to mention the low French cut on the chest part of her dress, a very sexy beauty indeed, "But that will all change once the seal upon my prison is broken." She said and stood now leaning on one of the bedposts still looking Dark over, "And you'll be a good boy and free me from my chains…won't you?" She asked in a sweetly tainted voice that made Dark unconsciously lower his defenses.

"I don't know…depends what you plan to do…once you're free." Dark replied and slowly began to close the distance between the two.

_'D-D-DARK!' Daisuke screamed in Dark's head only to be ignored._

The woman smiled and looked back at the steadily advancing Dark, "Well…guess you'll have to free me…and find out." She said as a smile crossed her crimson lips.

"Well, you must have been a very bad girl to have to be locked up in the first place…would it be wise of me to free a girl who's been rather naughty in her life?" Dark asked and stopped about a foot from her, never taking his eyes off of her sparkling blues.

"Hmph, I suppose I have been a naughty girl…" The woman replied and slowly began to walk in an ever closing circle around Dark, "If you consider sacrificing innocent human beings to the gods of darkness, murdering all of those who opposed me by summoning the demons of hell, and murdering your bother all in a quest for unrivaled power…then yes…if you really consider all of those things to be…naughty." She said and brushed her hand up against Dark's stomach as she passed walking back towards the bed and then standing towards the thief waiting for him to come forward, and she wasn't disappointed.

"Wow…defiantly a bad girl." Dark said and stepped closer to her, "And why would I want to free a bad girl like you?"

The woman smiled as Dark came within an inch from her and placed both of his hands on either side of here against the wall, affectively pinning her without restraining her hands. Bold little kaitou, "Because I have something you want…hmm…maybe a few things you want…" She said and drew circles on his chest with her index finger and looked up at him with her impossibly blue eyes.

"Hmm…what I'd like right now…is your name, Miss Hikari?" Dark asked with a grin of his own.

The woman smiled and licked her lips before speaking, "Shizuma Hikari…elder sister of Damous Hikari…and I'm sure you know him quite well." She said and became bolder in moving her figure lower to Dark's muscular stomach.

Damous Hikari, yeah, he knew that name, one of Krad's hosts…if Dark recalled correctly, he didn't often see Krad in that cycle of life, Damous liked to drain Krad of his powers to feed his own spells, on top of that, he was an excellent swordsman, a very formidable opponent. "Yes…I remember him. A skilled magic user…but a dark sorcerer if I'm not mistaken." Dark said watching Shizuma's face change from seductive to bitter amusement.

"True, I even trained him in the art…" She replied and gave a low and venomous chuckle, "The foolish boy decided that if he could surpass his master, he would be lord of the dark arts…" She replied then sighed, "To bad, I thought I'd thought him better then that…"

"Hmm…I take it that things between you two weren't exactly sibling love?" Dark asked sarcastically.

"Hmph. Right you are…clever little kaitou aren't you?" Shizuma asked with an innocent giggle and pressed herself closer to Dark; in fact, their bodies were touching in several areas of arousment.

"Woah." Dark said a bit surprised at the move, but didn't pull back, "You're not exactly a shy one are ya?"

"You could say…it been a while since I've had the pleasure of touching living flesh…male living flesh." She said as one hand trailed down Dark's back, "You could only imagine…"

Dark chuckled mentally to himself, trust me, he could imagine.

"But then again…you know how power hungry males are…my foolish brother was one of them. He thought to use my own tools and spells against me, but I wasn't bound to go down alone…and you know what I did?" She asked and brought her mouth close to Dark's ear suddenly causing Dark's mind to go haywire, but not because of the close contact, but at how familiar this felt, "He used my own spell against me…so I used his own sword against him…and did…this…" Suddenly her hand was no longer on Dark's back, but gripping the hilt of a sword she'd created out of thin air.

Quickly Dark spun around and jumped away before the blade came rushing through his back. Dark landed upright and was suddenly glaring at her with an undying flame of hatred and rage burning inside of him.

"Oh damn…you're reflexes have improved as well I see." Shizuma said a bit disappointed and brought the crystal sword with the blood red gem trapped within it down to her side, "I had hoped hitting all of your sensitive areas would slow you…but you catch on quick."

"Damn you, what the hell have you done with Krad you bitch?" Dark demanded and raised his defensive aura again, "Only Krad would touch me like that…and your magical signatures are almost identical…WHERE THE HELL IS HE!"

Shizuma smiled and with a magical wave of her hand her seductive outfit became the black robes of a dark cleric, with the pentagram embroidered with blood red silk in the center, and magical incantations around the fabric, "One of the many things I've barrowed from your beloved angel. To think, after years of pain staking conditioning and discipline, my family's perfect hunter would fall for it's own prey. Sad really." She replied still gripping the sword that now began to glow with it's own eerie red light.

Dark's eyes narrowed and he grasped a feather in with rage shaking hands, "What the hell have you done with him?" He growled again and his wings unfurled slightly, ready to snap if an attack was launched on him.

"The same thing I did with that foolish brother of mine and the true Director of this place…imprisoned his soul within this blade and drained him of his magic and his memories. Quite sad really…he held out so long for you too…" Shizuma said with a falsely sympathetic smile, "He really thought you'd come and save him…to bad, you're just to late. He's a part of me now…memories and soul."

Dark's rage and anger had reached a breaking point. She was lying, she had to be! Dark had come to save him, he would never abandon Krad, no, she was lying! Krad had to be alive, he just had to!

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Dark screamed and surprisingly felt himself unable to send a spell of his own into the demonic priestess…what if she was right, then he'd be hitting Krad…no, no she had to be lying!

"How else could I be standing before you now in mortal flesh? After years of my magical prison suppressing my powers…how else could I have projected myself out of this?" She asked and held up the sword, "How else…but with a large enough supply of magical energy…from your precious hunter? Now do you believe me?" Shizuma asked with a mocking laugh that cut into Dark's soul.

She was right…logically there could be no other explanation. However much he wanted to believe she was lying, there was no other explanation. Krad was gone…Slowly and hesitantly, Dark's hand unconsciously lowered and the feather fell from it. He had failed…Krad was gone.

'_No, no, no, no! Dark! Don't give up yet! She's messing with your head! She's lying to you, Krad's soul has to be alive, but if we don't act now he'll really be gone!' Daisuke screamed in his head._

'…And how can you be so sure…' Dark asked derived of hope and emotion, '…She's right…how else can she possibly have entered the mortal dimension without…without…' The thought pained Dark too much to finish.

_'Damn it…I KNOW BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL ALIVE!'_

"Farewell, Phantom Thief…and join your lover in the next life!" Shizuma laughed and began to chant a sealing spell at the heart broken and frozen figure of Dark.

Suddenly Dark's wings snapped open and Dark's feather returned, "Not before you join your brother!" Dark yelled and threw his own massive spell that held every bit of magic he possessed at the woman who was to busy chanting her own spell to block the attack.

"Ah! NO!" She quickly stopped the spell and instinct took over as she unconsciously brought the crystal blade up in front of her. The spell was a direct hit, but to Dark and Daisuke's shock and horror, the blade began to absorb the spell, but the ferocity of the attack was to much for it and the blade began to crack!

_'What the…DARK LOOK OUT!' Daisuke screamed._

Suddenly the blade shattered and deadly sharp shards of enchanted crystal exploded throughout the room flying everywhere, and everything the magical shards touched burst into a blaze of fire. Dark had taken Daisuke advice, be he was already to exhaust of energy and fell to the ground panting and spent.

The screams of the dark sorceress could be heard through out the room until the words of magic filled Dark's ears and she was suddenly gone. Dark wasn't sure if she was dead or had cast a spell on herself to retreat…not that he really cared right now anyway. As far as he knew…he had failed, and Krad's soul was gone…he'd used up all of his energy and someone was bound to come in to investigate the fire that Dark could feel all around him…he didn't have the energy or the will to fight back anymore, or escape, not to mention a terribly sharp and acute pain that was pulsing through his gut and velvety feeling of something warm flowing out of him. Had he been hit? He couldn't remember…he felt light headed and tired, then suddenly he could feel himself being pulled away from the living world and suddenly he was surrounded by the warm presence of light in Daisuke's mind.

_'D…Dai…wha…what are you…' Dark began to ask then gave up, as he was too tired to speak._

Daisuke coughed a bit then rose slowly to his feet clutching his stomach with one hand, "G…Getting up the hell out of…here." He managed to say before his body gave into the sudden lose of blood and he fell to one knee coughing up him own crimson life. Dark had been hit, Daisuke looked down at his stomach and saw a large shard of crystal sticking out of his skin, "Damn…it…" Daisuke coughed and began to feel dizzy.

_"Schmerzen haben nicht."_

Words of magic? But from whom? Suddenly the pain in Daisuke's stomach released and he felt some of his strength returning slowly at first, then rapidly. Then he felt himself being lifted off the ground and was suddenly in a flash out of the burning heat of the flames into the cold air of the night. He was being carried…and flying! But…who? As Daisuke slowly regained his eyes sight back he was suddenly forced to shut his eyes and unconsciously wrapped his arms tightly around the neck of his rescuer for fear of falling. He was high in the sky now and slowly descending, but he didn't dare open his eyes even when he felt the soft landing of the angel holding him.

"You can open your eyes now…and let go of me."

The voice was cold and annoyed, but Daisuke recognized its owner almost immediately. He opened his eyes and his vision was clouded in a mass of gold, golden hair, and white wings!

Daisuke wanted to scream out how happy he was to see him but he was suddenly dropped and fell to the ground on his rear in one swift motion.

"Ouch!" Daisuke pouted and looked quickly back up at Krad who was starring down at him with…with…such strange eyes.

"Good. Now that you're detached from me, I suggest you leave before someone sees you, they might think you started this fire." The angel said with harsh words and turned his back to Daisuke to walk away.

"What? WAIT! Krad where are you going?" Daisuke exclaimed, jumping up and grabbed the angel's arm, which earned him a swift punch to the face.

"I said beat it, kid. I saved you once but don't expect the same courteously again!" The demon yelled frustratingly and glared down at the child he'd just knocked to the ground.

Daisuke was in shock. Krad would never…what the hell…this wasn't right; it was almost like…almost like Krad didn't know who he was.

Daisuke looked up at Krad with wide eyes and trembling, "K-Krad…what's wrong with you…?" He asked in a shaky voice.

"Besides you and the fact that you're calling me by that damn name?" Krad growled and turned his back on the horrified child. "I don't know who this Krad is, but call me that again and I won't just tap you like that. Now leave here and go home, and don't make me repeat myself."

"But…! Wait…!" Daisuke yelled, but by the time he'd gotten to his feet Krad was gone into the night.

At that moment, Daisuke was feeling an odd mixture of emotions…he was so happy that Krad was alive…they'd done it…they freed his soul…but…he didn't remember him…he didn't remember Daisuke at all! Suddenly he felt glad that Dark was unconscious, because hearing this…would have killed him.

**Notes from the Author:**

OMG! Dark is such a perv! (Well can't change that no matter what sex he's hitting on… ; ) But now he thinks that he's failed and really lost Krad while only Daisuke knows the truth that Krad's memories are gone…will Daisuke have the courage to tell Dark the truth? Or will Dark have to harshly find out on his own?

See, see, see! I promised a longer chapter and the Kitty Girl delivered! XD Hope you all enjoyed, cause there's still more to come!

(P.S. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE COMMENTS AND REVIEWS! XD Criticism or praise I love it all! **Cries and bows** Thank you all so much! You all give me the courage to continue on! Thank you!)


	10. Who am I?

**Chapter 10:**

**(While Dark was battling with the sorceress of 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro'…)**

Everything was so dark and quiet; Satoshi might as well have been lying in a mausoleum. Satoshi had been kneeling on the floor, resting his head on Krad's arm, while gently stroking the fallen angel's hand as his lifeless body lay on the alter, since Daisuke had left. He couldn't help but feel a slight sense of comfort just lying there next to Krad; it brought him peace and sadness. After he had made his silent prayer for Krad's pain to end, he seemed to sense that Krad's soul, wherever it was, was slowly coming to a rest…and eternal rest. Every time he felt tears threatening to burst from his eyes, he reminded himself that Krad was in pain…and at least death would allow his soul the freedom he so longingly desired. Even though it caused Satoshi immense internal anguish, Satoshi repeated to himself over and over again that if he truly loved Krad…he wouldn't allow himself to cry when his inner demon was finally granted peace. He would miss Krad, but it was clear to Satoshi now that no matter what Daisuke and Dark did…they would be to late, they were doomed to fail the moment Krad made his decision to step in front of that blade. Looking back on it, Krad would have never done this for Dark…ever, if anything, it would be Krad wielding that sword to take the Thief's life in the first place, but he had changed. Krad would do anything to protect Dark now, even though he'd never admit it, Krad loved Dark more then life itself, because he didn't hesitate to give up his soul to spare Dark's. Maybe it was meant to be this way. Fate's cruel irony that Dark's most hated enemy would be the one to save his life in the end…Fate is a wicked goddess.

As blue eyes were closing due to fatigue and weariness, a sudden flicker of magic began to fill the area around the alter. Satoshi's eyes snapped open and he quickly looked up to Krad's face, he was astonished, Krad's color had returned and as Satoshi's hand remained on the angel's, he could he magic swelling up inside of him. Krad was alive! But before Satoshi had a chance to let it sink in, or even jump up, he was thrown backward by a sudden burst of energy emitting from Krad and a flash filled the room blinding him and dousing the magical flames that lit the room. Slowly Satoshi regained his senses and opened his eyes to darkness, the room was completely eclipsed in shadows, a sudden lurch of panic and joy made Satoshi looked immediately back towards the alter to find it…empty. Krad was alive…gone, but alive! Finally the tears that Satoshi had fought so hard to control over came him and he smiled. For the first time since Krad had left him…he could smile, and even though he was close to collapsing, he felt better then he'd ever felt in his life. But the feeling wasn't to last, he looked inside and found…the void still in his soul…Krad had not returned to him. Confusion, happiness, exhaustion, and dizziness soon over whelmed the young man and he fainted on the cold floor of the darkened room.

Daisuke had made the long walk home in silent thought. He couldn't get the images of the night out of his head…or the words spoken by the fallen angel that both he and Dark had risked their lives to save.

_"I said beat it, kid. I saved you once but don't expect the same courteously again!" The demon yelled frustratingly and glared down at the child he'd just knocked to the ground._

Krad didn't know who Daisuke was…

_Daisuke looked up at Krad with wide eyes and trembling, "K-Krad…what's wrong with you…?" He asked in a shaky voice._

He didn't even know who he was!

"_Besides you and the fact that you're calling me by that damn name?" Krad growled and turned his back on the horrified child. "I don't know who this Krad is, but call me that again and I won't just tap you like that. Now leave here and go home, and don't make me repeat myself."_

Now it made sense…how that witch was able to return to the living world…and how Krad was still alive. Daisuke looked down at his torn coat and shirt where he'd been hit with the flaming shard of crystal, the bleeding had stopped and the wound was closed, but the burn mark and a scar were still very visible. Krad could have easily made it look as though nothing had ever happened…but he was unable to. That bitch not only stole his memory…but his magical abilities too.

"_But…! Wait…!" Daisuke yelled, but by the time he'd gotten to his feet Krad was gone into the night._

Where would he have gone? If he had really forgotten all of his memories, then he must have forgotten about the Niwa house, Satoshi and his home, he would have forgotten…Dark. Where would he have left to go? He seemed like he was in a hurry to be somewhere…or he just didn't want to have been seen by the people coming to investigate and put out the fire…but then, why would he have saved Daisuke? If he truly didn't remember him, then why would he go out of his way to save him, heal him, and hide him? Daisuke's head was clouded with shock, disbelief, and questions.

As Daisuke's mind flooded with uneasiness and worries, Dark found it impossible to rest. The last thing he had remembered was Daisuke performing a forced take over only to fall to the ground with a dagger like shard sticking out of his stomach…then he blacked out. Now his strength had gradually returned, being able to recuperate faster in the astral realm, and he had a hard time getting through to Daisuke with all of these damn questions blocking his link. As he was about to call out to Daisuke, one of Daisuke's several thoughts of recapping the events of the night caught his eye, white wings. A pair of huge white wings were wrapped around Daisuke speaking words of magic, then Daisuke on the ground far from the blaze crying out for the angelic figure not to leave, then back to Daisuke walking slowly away trying to make sense of everything.

'_Krad…where is Krad?' Dark suddenly found himself asking aloud and Daisuke jumped at hearing the voice of another after such a long period of silence. Then he suddenly calmed down and stopped in his tracks. 'You saw him…you saw him alive…where's Krad!' It was time to break the news to Dark._

"…I'm sorry Dark…but…I can't answer your question…" Daisuke softly replied after a moment of silence.

_'Wha-What do you mean you can't answer my question? You saw him, you saw Krad…Where is he!' Dark demanded again, this time with a more awake and in an angered tone._

Daisuke thought his words out carefully, there truly was no sugar coated way to break this to his other self, and he was bound to find out sooner of later…he had to tell Dark the truth, Krad was alive…and didn't remember any thing. "Dark…Krad…he's…he's alive…but…" He thought telling the truth would be easier to say, but he found it even more difficult, if not worse. The words would come to him then die on the tip of his tongue and Daisuke bit down on his lower lip. "…Can we go home?"

'Home…?' Dark wasn't expecting that one. He wanted to know where Krad was, his other half, his lover, his fallen angel…and Daisuke couldn't answer him, and he could only ask if they could go home? Something terrible must have happened…Daisuke was trying to protect him from something…but what? 'Daisuke…it's okay…you can tell me. What happened…what happened to you and Krad?' Dark asked in a more gentle tone and softly held Daisuke comfortingly.

Daisuke wanted to tell him, he so badly wanted to just blurt out the truth…but he couldn't, Dark's heart was already broken enough, he couldn't bare to see Dark in any more pain, "…Please, can we just go home…?" Daisuke pleaded again as tears began to swell up within him.

_With a slight reluctance, because he was not one hundred percent recovered, Dark slowly shifted places with Daisuke and the quiet young man took an enclosed refuge in the back of Dark's mind._

Dark stood still for a while, gently fanning his wings against the cold night air slowly. Daisuke must have seen something that made him feel that telling Dark the truth about Krad would do more harm then good, and now Dark was even more worried about it. If Krad were alive, soul and body again, then why would it be such a bad thing? The longer Dark thought about it the tighter the knot in his stomach pulled. He shook his head and focused on acquiescing Daisuke's request, and go home.

Dark looked up at the darkened black sky, the moon was becoming lower to the west but the stars still shown beautifully. Dark could remember a time when he would be enjoying this beautiful night in the heat of a dreadful battle with his light half, but now, he would have been curled up safety in his lover's arms waiting for the sun to rise in blissful peace. The phantom thief's eyes slowly became saddened wine colored orbs of loneliness and uncertainty, how much he longed to see Krad again and beg his forgiveness for not being there for him sooner…but for now, just knowing he was alive and whole again was enough.

Midnight wings spread wide as the Phantom thief took off into the night sky, he hovered high above the earth for a while, looking out into the chilled air over the landscape. Daisuke had absentmindedly wondered into an area untouched by humans, there was a large wooded area not far from the university, Dark guessed that's where they were. It was getting near November this time of year, Dark loved to watch the snow fall softly in the old days…and he still loved it, but before he and Krad had ending their three century old battle, the snow always made Dark remember how alone he truly was. Everyone and everything he'd ever known died due to a short mortal life, while he remained…eternal. The only thing that remained the same for him was death, rebirth, and an endless battle in the night, and the snow…the eternal snow. Dark always admired the snow, it was so pure and coated everything in a color that reminded him of his light…yet standing alone upon the snow made him feel like a dark blemish on the beautiful sea of white…but that didn't matter. He always felt that the snow never minded his presence, for without the dark; there can be no light. Dark needed his light, more then ever now, because without Krad…there could be no Dark.

Dark gave a sigh and watched his visible breath fade into nothingness before his eyes, Dark felt so incomplete without his light…he longed for him once more, as he always had whenever they were apart. His heart ached worse the more he longed…but he couldn't help it, he needed Krad, and he knew Krad needed him.

Dark flapped his great wings and started to head south back towards the Niwa home when he suddenly stopped and quickly turned around, no doubt about it, however small that one flicker of magic was, he knew it was him. His other half.

"Krad…" Dark barely breathed.

There was no mistaking it, Krad wasn't far from here and his was giving of small bursts of magic. Dark had completely forgotten about Daisuke and his plea to go home, with a sharp flap of his wings he took off in the opposite direction of home, to the north. Krad was there, it had to be him! Then again…that woman was also radiating the same signature as Krad, and in this condition he was in no stat for a fight with the shadow of a dark sorceress, but he didn't care. He had to see for himself if it really was Krad; whatever awaited him there he was going to risk it.

Dark flew so fast that he didn't even bother to look down at the commotion of the humans finishing off the fire from the mansion below, all he wanted to do was find the source of this feeling and pray it was Krad, and not a temptress waiting in ambush.

A white-gloved hand balled into a fist and with a sudden burst of frustration, came crashing into contact with a large tree snapping it in two.

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" Krad screamed and bashed in another tree panting and snarling in frustration, "WHAT THE HELL AM I?" He screamed again and his wings shot open and turned another four trees into nothing but ashes.

Finally he dropped to the ground holding his head and fighting back tears of anger and confusion.

"What…what the hell am I?" He asked aloud as his legs gave way and he fell to his knees still clutching his head, "Am…Am I some kind of…monster?" Krad shut his eyes tightly and clamped his teeth together in a final attempt to fight back the tears.

The first thing Krad remembered after his body and soul were merged together again was a horrible red light, the painful and agonizing torture of a burning blade cutting into his body, and the horrible noise of shattering crystal as he was forcefully thrust into living flesh. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a red room of fire with a dying child at his feet, something inside of him acted without his consent and he saved the boy…though he wasn't sure why. He was so lost and confused, he didn't know his name, why he looked so different from humans, and why he had these awful powers that scared him out of his mind. Where did he come from, why was he here, who was he? He had no answers to any of these questions…only more questions and pain. Then finally he could no longer hold back the tears that were now drowning and burning his eyes, he couldn't control himself and felt like screaming again…but he didn't.

Suddenly his magical senses began to come alive as he felt someone nearing, was it that horrible knight again, or was it that witch that laughed at his torment? He would find that bastard and that bitch and kill them for what they had done to him…maybe then he could find out why they had held him there and who he was. But this strange person approaching didn't feel like someone from the hellish prison…this person was…different, yet so familiar. He couldn't be seen like this…though this person may not have been from that horrible place, he was still magical, and therefore and enemy. Krad pulled himself back together and awkwardly flapped his wings and vanished into the surroundings, he would watch this person and kill him if necessary…but then again, he felt that anyone with magic was a devil, including himself.

**Notes from the Author:**

YES! I FINALLY UPDATED! **bows a million times** Please please please forgive the long wait, but I finally found a job and it keeps me pretty busy since I'm working full time now, but I'll do my absolute best to update as much as I can! Next chapter should come a little faster though because I have a few days off coming up, but I can't make any promises. **bows again** Thank you for you patients and your comments! To all of my readers, I love you all!


	11. I Tried to Protect You

**Chapter 11:**

'This is it…that last wave came from here, I'm sure of it!' Dark assured himself as he flew towards an area near a river where several trees were knocked down or vaporized. The sight surprised Dark and he stopped just over the area, "What the hell happened here?" He asked in barely a whisper as he scanned the area below him, he was sure someone was down there, but who he couldn't be sure.

After a moment the thief descended from the sky and landed gracefully on the ground standing tall and looking carefully at his surroundings. Someone apparently was having a temper tantrum and took it out on the local greenery, would Krad really do this, and why? He continued to scan the area looking for any trace sign of anyone or Krad, and was thus far not having any luck.

Krad was hidden well not far above Dark on a large and shadowed tree branch staring down at Dark. The sight took his breath away, this black winged angel was…beautiful, and what made Krad even more astound was that fact that he looked just like him, angelic wings, strange colored eyes and hair, plus he radiated a similar magical presence. Krad couldn't take his eyes off of him, his heart was beating fast and his breath came short, who was this dark angel? Suddenly it didn't matter to Krad if he was sent from heaven or hell, he was just so…beautiful. He couldn't get him out of his head, he felt like he knew this man, this person of the night…a past friend…a deadly foe…a rival? He couldn't remember, and at the thought that he had forgotten whom this majestic person was made him clench his fists in frustration and anger, then suddenly, against his control, his wings gave an involuntary shudder and a single white feather was swept up in the wind. Oh no, this would give his presence away, damn it, why was he getting so worked up over this devil magic user?

As Dark looked desperately around, and his heart sank lower and lower with each passing second of nothing, a soft white feather gently brushed up against the side of his face. At first it startled him, and then when he reached for the touch he pulled into view a delicate white angelic feather, Krad's feather! Suddenly Dark's heart leapt into his throat and was about to turn around to where the breeze had blown the feather, he met a radically thrown ball of demonic ice energy.

The surprise of the feather was of joy, but the shock of the ice blast was an entirely different feeling. Dark was easily able to dodge the sporadically thrown blast with ease and landed crouched on the ground as he used his own energy to counter the next five or so that were thrown at him as well. The energy blasts weren't concentrated or controlled…almost like an armature was throwing them. Then, through a force of instinct, Dark launched a blast of his own, not aiming for the person attacking him, but for the base of the tree where the person was hidden above it. The blast sliced the base of the tree in two and as it began to fall over a white flash leapt out of it and landed on the ground in front of the slaughtered tree, the white figure standing in a battle stance was hidden in a cloud of dust and debris, but Dark knew who it was…Krad!

Dark normally would have scolded Krad for such a poor show of force, but after worrying and waiting, longing and praying to see Krad alive once more over took everything…he wanted nothing more then to leap forward and wrap his arms around the angel, showing him with pleas for forgiveness and kisses, but Dark stood motionless and just stared at Krad shaking…shaking with fear. Was Krad attacking him because Dark had come to late to save his soul for agonizing torture? Would he reject him and never forgive him for being beaten in a fight that cost the fallen angel his life? Or was there another, more horrifying reason for Krad's show of force? Dark was scared, and so happy at the same time…Krad…please forgive me.

For a long while the two stood silently staring at each other, Krad not letting his guard down and Dark never putting one up. Only the wind softly blowing through the few trees that were left spoke whispering and illegible words in the night, for the two angels said nothing. One to afraid to speak, and the other to lost in his futile battle to figure out who this dark angel before him was.

"…" Krad growled in frustration and glared at Dark, "What do you want?" He asked in an offensive voice that was heavy with uneasiness and anger coving up his fear.

'What did I want? …I want your forgiveness, Krad…Please forgive me for every thing that I've done…Forgive me for letting you sacrifice yourself for me…Please let me hold you again and love me as I so desperately love you…' Dark begged in his mind, for his thoughts were too hesitant to be heard on his lips. "I…I want…you…" Dark said in a voice that sounded so foreign to him, a voice drenched with hours of tears and regrets, a voice that he had spoken to the angel with as he lay lifeless on the alter, soulless and empty. And he meant it…every word of it.

Krad's eyes widened and he suddenly dropped his stance and took a step back. The reply shocked him, "Me? What…what do you want with me?" Krad asked trying to regain his dominate tone, and failed.

Dark dropped his gaze to the ground and bit his lower lip, then he began to take a slow step forward, "I…I wanted you to know…that I'm sorry…" Dark had tried to remain in control of himself, but lost it and looked back up into Krad's confused eyes and lightly flushing face, "I don't deserve your forgiveness for what happened…I was stupid and I made a mistake! I didn't take the battle seriously enough and became careless! It's my fault I slipped up and you had to pay for my mistake! If I could change what happened, I would have gladly given up my soul in your stead!" Suddenly Krad had backed himself up against a tree as Dark continued to advance, the fallen angel was staring at Dark in confusion, what the hell was he talking about? "When I had found out what happened to you, I begged whatever god there was out there to bring you back to me and take my life instead! I prayed and I prayed, but my prayers went unanswered, and now…" Dark said as his voice suddenly cracked a bit and he stopped about three feet away from Krad, "…and…and now…to…to see you alive…" Dark's eyes began to fill with tears that wouldn't fall, "Now…I have the chance to say…I'm sorry…"

Dark stared at the ground awaiting an answer of anger and unmerciful ness, he awaited Krad's judgment and rage, he awaited rejection and a swift stab to the heart…but it didn't come. Krad was too speechless and taken aback by this stranger's words that he could only stare at the dark angel in bewilderment and curiosity. He kept replaying the words over again in his head, hoping to recall the event this man was referring to…something about…sacrificing his soul to save…Wait!

"You…you're the one who…sent me to that…hellish prison…?"

Dark's eyes widened and he looked quickly up at Krad whose face went from shock, to anger.

"You're the reason…I…I was tortured…and murdered…and you're the reason…I suffered…" Krad growled with his rage threatening to take over his semi-calmed voice.

Dark's expression returned to one of regret, he could only imagine the pain Krad must have gone through in the clutches of that devil woman…and it was Dark's fault He didn't stop Krad from jumping in front of the blade. He hated himself for it…and he would gladly receive any punishment Krad would give him, anything to earn Krad's forgiveness.

"You're the reason…" Suddenly Krad grabbed Dark by the collar of his coat and lifted him off the ground, "And you're the reason I don't remember a damn thing!" Krad screamed and clenched his free fist.

'Couldn't remember a damn thing?' Dark's eyes widened and then he was launched backwards onto the ground as a Krad landed a powerful punch to his face.

Dark barely got out a scream as he was driven into the ground by the ferocity of the blow, then overwhelmed by the force Krad jumping on top of him and landing another punch to his face with unbridled fury.

"YOU'RE THE REASON I TRAPPED IN THAT GODFORSAKEN PLACE! YOU'RE THE REASON THEY WOULDN'T LET ME DIE!" Krad screamed as he landed another punch to Dark's face that caused the Phantom Thief to cough out a large mass of blood, "YOU'RE THE REASON I HAD TO SPEND AN ETERNITY IN THAT DAMN MIRROR WORLD OF HELL! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CAST ME INTO THEIR HANDS, YOU BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL DID I DO TO DESERVE THAT!"

However much Dark blamed himself for what happened as much as Krad did, his body's natural reaction to getting beaten was to fight back, and so he did. Dark screamed and his wings flared open as he landed a punch of his own to the side of Krad's face and leapt to his feet. Krad was stunned and thrown backwards by the blow, but quickly recovered, only to be knocked to the ground and pinned down by the bleeding Phantom Thief.

Dark straddled Krad's chest and pinned his hands firmly to the ground, he used his full weight on Krad to keep him from breaking free or opening his wings that were firmly trapped beneath him. Dark looked directly into Krad's glaring and rage filled eyes with his own regretful but firm gaze.

"I'm sorry…It was my fault, and whatever they did to you…I could only wish I could have taken your place." Dark said firmly as Krad struggled beneath him trying to break free and break the thief's neck, but soon he found it was futile to struggle and forced his muscles to relax, for his rage was immeasurable, "I should have stopped you from stepping in front of the blade that was meant for me, but I was weak and it all happened…so fast…" Dark said trying to remain control of himself and continued to hold Krad down firmly, "For that…I am sorry."

'He stepped in front of the blade that was meant for him?' Krad's anger ebbed with confusion; did he willingly give up his soul to save this man whom he had labeled responsible for his torment? But why would he have saved him? Did this dark angel mean something of great importance to him in the past? He couldn't remember…

The two were silent a while before the question that had been plaguing Krad's mind since he had seen the dark angel for the first time since his freedom, "…Who are you?"

Dark's heart stopped. Had he heard this correctly? 'Who was he?' No…why would Krad say something like that? He was Dark, the Great Phantom Thief Dark Mousy, Krad's darker self, his lover, his friend, and rival…'Who was he?' No…no, had Krad really…forgotten him? "…Wha…What did you…say…?" Dark asked horror struck and wide eyed.

Krad sighed and silently turned his head away, "Someone…somehow in that hell dimension…I lost my…memories…if I ever had any…" Krad said quietly and his body felt completely numb and lifeless. He didn't bother to think of struggling anymore, nothing really mattered any more, and as far as he was concerned he had no memories, no past, and therefore no existence. "…I don't remember anything before…before that place…so, I'm sorry if I had known you in a previous life, but I don't remember anyone anymore. So for whatever you're asking my forgiveness for…it doesn't matter, because as far as I'm concerned, it never happened."

At that moment, Dark felt dead. Krad had forgotten him, forgotten everything and everyone! Forgotten their cursed birth, the terrible purpose behind their existences, the never ending cycle of death and rebirth that plagued them for all eternity, their many battles, their finally realized love for each other, every time they had sacrificed for one another…everything…all of it…gone?

'…_I'm sorry Dark…I was…to afraid to tell you…he's forgotten everything…even…even you.' Daisuke said quietly as he slowly returned to hiding in the back of Dark's mind again._

'This…this is what you were trying to protect me from?' Dark said in disbelief and realization.

_Daisuke remained silent and turned away._

Dark starred down at Krad again, the fallen angel was looking away from him either to scared or to ashamed to face him. But suddenly, as he felt the soft drops of tears gently hit his face, he turned back towards Dark whose tears had finally fallen and Dark lowered his head to hide his face. "…You…you really don't…remember…me…do you…?" Dark asked barely loud enough for even the angel below him to hear.

Krad looked back up at Dark as his chest was now lightly saturated with the dark angel's tears. Had he really meant so much to this person that the very though of him not remembering him would cause him such pain? Now that he recalled…there was one thing that had kept him fighting in that hell for so long, resisting to relinquish his soul willingly to the darkness that imprisoned him…an image of a dark silhouette that had faded after so much torture over time…could this man…have been him? "…Please…forgive me if what I have said causes you pain…but I can't remember anything about you or my own life…so please, don't let my words or actions hurt you so much…" Krad replied, the malice gone from his voice, only regret for not remembering Dark and sadness for having caused another such pain, remaining.

Dark gave a light smirk, "…There's nothing to forgive…only this…tell me…" Dark said and whipped the tears from his eyes on his shoulder before turning back to face Krad, "Do you…remember anything at all…any little thing at all…before…that place?" Dark asked silently pleading.

Krad lay there and stared up at Dark for a moment, and then looked up at the dark night above them. He had thought about it…however fuzzy and faded the image was…there was still something there, "…Darkness…not, not the darkness of hell…but…warm darkness. It was…comforting and…it gave me a reason to fight back…it's what I held onto when they took everything else…from me." Krad said more to himself then to the person who had asked him, "It's faded now…and I don't know what it is…but it's there, and it's all I have." Then Krad turned back to Dark's relieved face, "Does that answer your question?" Krad asked as the thief gave a sad, yet glad smile.

Dark was silent for a moment and seemed to be thinking to himself for a while. Then, with a sudden and graceful motion he leapt off of Krad and stood over him with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed. Krad stared up at him a little surprised then curious.

"The name's Dark Mousy, legendary phantom thief extraordinaire!" Dark said with a proud voice and remained grinning down at Krad who gave an amused smirk of his own.

"Nice to meet you, Legendary Phantom Thief Dark Mousy. I only wish I had a name to give you in return." Krad replied then was surprised to see Dark lend his hand down to him.

"That's okay, mind if I call you…Krad?"

**Notes from the Author:**

SKWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Two chapters in one day, I hope this makes up for the extremely long gap I've had between chapters 9 and 10! **Bows** I thank you all for reading and I hope this gives you all enough to chew on until I get some break time to finish writing chapter 12. Hope you've all enjoyed so far, because it's only getting better!

With Much Love,

Gen. Kitty Girl, Kelbora


	12. To Save My Demons

**Chapter 12:**

Satoshi had lain unconscious on the floor of the basement for some time before Emiko discovered her new charge missing from his bed. She soon found him in the basement and Krad's body missing, he shock and horror from the sight nearly knocked her off her feet, but she quickly retrieved the unconscious child and returned him to the living room couch to asses what had happened and hopefully wake him.

However, Satoshi was far from being awoken, he was to far off in his own thoughts and weariness to hear Emiko's frantic pleading. Memories, old and more recent, played in his head…memories of the horrible destiny thrust upon him, the burden of the Hikari name, the curse of his brilliance that removed any chance of normality from his life, the pain of harboring a demon he had once feared with all of his being in his body, the nearly impossible task his cruel "father" had placed upon his shoulders of capturing Dark, the torment of his soul now that half of it had once died and was now missing…but through all of this darkness and misery came Daisuke. A joyful, vibrant, life filled, spark of affection and…love, Daisuke was everything he wished he could be, he wanted to feel the light so badly for himself…and felt it radiate from Daisuke. Since the first time he had met Daisuke he was overwhelmed with odd emotions, at first they confused and frightened him, frightened him at how badly he wanted to let someone close to him…but he had shunned him for fear of waking the beast that lay dormant inside of him, pushed him away and masked his longing with anger and resentment, he hated himself for what he did back then…hated himself for denying his feelings and pushing Daisuke farther away. Oh Daisuke…what would you think of me now, if you only knew?

Every night since his inhuman sapphire eyes made contact with Daisuke's life inspiring rubies, Satoshi couldn't get him out of his mind. Daisuke's klutzy grace made him laugh inside, his kind and generous nature made him smile, and his optimistic attitude towards life made him envious…envious of his blissful ignorance. There wasn't a thing about Daisuke that didn't fascinate or intrigue Satoshi; he loved every bit of him, and every moment they spent together. When Daisuke had leapt in head first on the suicide mission to save Dark and Krad, Satoshi was awestruck, but then when Zanus and Adel were preparing to spirit them to their Demon's prison and his and Daisuke's lips met for the first time…his soul was on fire. Daisuke's kiss, however spur of the moment and brief it was, was chaste and filling, Satoshi's knees would have given way like his heart had, had they not been brought crashing down to the ground by the sudden end of the spell. Kissing Daisuke was like taking your first breath of air, your first drink of water, your first taste of life…how he longed to kiss him again. The night after Krad and Dark had sealed away the demon of the Shadow World, he had had his chance to hold Daisuke and have him all to himself for the first time. The two, alone, under the clear night sky, in peaceful serenity and silence…it was a dream…a fantasy…heaven come true for him. He did admit…he had lusted for Daisuke, and deep down in his darkest fantasies he still did, but his love for Daisuke was more…of love then lust.

Why was he suddenly thinking about Daisuke, all of a sudden? Earlier all he could think about was Krad…and how he just wanted his demon's agonizing pain to end, why were his thoughts now only for Daisuke? Maybe he was reminding himself what he had to live for…though Krad was alive once more, he was sure of it, he didn't feel as though Krad would be returning to him any time soon. Alone. He was alone once more. Maybe that's why his mind and heart turned to Daisuke? Daisuke symbolized new life for him, new hope, and new beginnings. He wanted nothing more then to think of a life with now burdens, no destiny, no curses…only Daisuke. But such a world was a fantasy for him…and he knew it.

Slowly he was forced out of his thoughts and reminiscing by the faint, yet unmistakable presence of someone near…some who he had been longing to see again. A pair of lightly clouded blue eyes opened slightly and stared upwards at the ceiling for a moment, he was in the Niwa's living room, on their couch no doubt…but…wasn't he in the alter room? When was he moved up here? How long had he been out?

"Oh! Dad, Dad, he's awake!" Emiko cried out as Satoshi's eyes slowly turned towards her, she was kneeling on the ground at his side with a worried expression on her face, "Satoshi…Satoshi, are you okay? How do you feel?" She asked gently as the elder Niwa entered the room.

Satoshi was silent for a while and looked back up at the ceiling, still trying to pull himself fully awake, "…Fine…I guess…" He said quietly.

"Oh thank goodness…we found you unconscious down stairs and…and…Krad he…his…" Emiko stumbled and tried to choose her next words delicately, for as far as she knew, Dark and Daisuke had failed and Krad was finally and would forever be…without a life or soul.

"…Krad's body is gone…I know." Satoshi said tonelessly.

Daiiki and Emiko looked down at him in shock.

"…Dark and Daisuke…didn't fail. His soul returned to him…he's alive." Satoshi replied and then felt a sudden sharpness within his chest reminding him of the demon's absents.

"So…so he is alive!" Emiko exclaimed and smiled happily, "Oh…Oh thank heavens! We were afraid that-"

"He hasn't returned to me."

Both Daiiki and Emiko's shocked faces turned once again upon the young man laying on the couch now slowly lifting himself up into a sitting position.

"Wha…What do you mean?" Emiko asked confused.

"…Krad may be body and soul once more…but…" Satoshi said now speaking more to himself then to his audience, "Something is still missing…something that has now given Krad a mind and body of his own…and prevented him from merging with me again…but what…?" Satoshi asked himself openly.

Emiko looked completely puzzled and confused, she had always assumed that once Krad's soul was returned, he would reunite within Satoshi. Daiiki, however, was only confused for a moment before a thought struck him.

"…Satoshi, Krad was born into the Hikari bloodline without a body of his own to inhabit…without a host, a tamer, a vessel…Krad would cease to exist." Daiiki said as Satoshi looked down at the floor with a look of sadness and acceptance in this truth, for he had always known it, it wasn't until recently that he had begun to grow feelings of sympathy for the demon that had haunted every moment of his life. Krad was meant to be a slave to the Hikari's, nothing more. "And if what you're saying is true…that Krad has indeed not returned to you, but has in fact been given a body of his own to inhabit here among the mortal world…then it can only be temporary."

Suddenly Satoshi's eyes widened and he quickly look up at the elder Niwa, "What…what are you saying?" He asked fear engulfing his other more controllable emotions.

"I'm saying…that Krad cannot live in the mortal world, the non-magical world, without a host for long. So though he may be body a soul again…his life will only be battling the inevitable without a host to draw upon." Daiiki said solemnly, he looked directly into Satoshi's speechless and horrified face with a sadness of his own. It was so remarkable to him that Krad could have a host that cared for him this much, Satoshi himself might not even realize what kind of hosts Krad had in the past. The thought of losing Krad was terrifying to Satoshi…he could see it, and it gave him hope that perhaps what Dark had been saying all of those years, about Krad truly not being completely evil, had truth to them.

"Oh…Satoshi…" Emiko said soothingly as she laid a hand on Satoshi's shaking shoulders. She was a natural mother, and natural motherly instincts were to comfort any child in pain or fear, but then again no normal mother would have to deal with a situation quite like this one, for she doubted that no normal mother would have given birth to a son who harbored within him a powerful magical being. But she tried and even though Satoshi couldn't say it, he was grateful for her comfort. "…Dad, isn't there something, a spell, and artifact, anything, that could merge their souls back into one body?" Emiko pleaded looking back at he father who was deep in thought.

_There has to be something…I…I can't lose Krad again…We've come so far, we've finally saved his soul…but I…I don't want to lose him again_! Satoshi screamed in his head trying desperately to find some light in this situation.

"…I don't know…we'd have to see Krad in person and find out what had happened to make him unable to merge with Satoshi. Until then, I'm afraid…" Daiiki said looking back at Satoshi who sat deathly pale and lost to himself, "We'll just have to keep praying."

There was a long and very solemn silence about the room. Both Daiiki and Emiko would have done anything to comfort Satoshi…but they were at a loss as well, for what hope was there to give until they had known why Krad couldn't return to Satoshi? Then Satoshi slowly lowered himself back down o the couch, turned away from the two Niwas.

"…Could you…could you give me some…time…alone?" Satoshi asked emotionless and barely audible.

At first, Daiiki looked to Emiko for confirmation on what the young man had said, then she saw Emiko leaned down and whisper something in Satoshi's ear before she stood up and motioned for them both to leave. Daiiki gave one last look down at Satoshi who had his face hidden in the shadows of his hair, and then he gave a sigh and left with his daughter.

After the door had closed and Satoshi felt assured he was alone, a single tear fell down his cheek, he didn't want anyone to see him cry. But Emiko's words continued to echo in his head, for some reason they made the pain ease a bit, no one had ever treated him like Emiko had…with kindness, love, concern, understanding…she was like, the mother he had been deprived of his whole life. Her words…however brief and softly they were spoken, they felt as soothing as though an angel had sung them…

_'Guardian angel's never abandon their loved ones…'_

All of this time, Krad had protected him. Thinking back on it…the only real time he ever truly saved Krad was when he had shoved Xilef's sword into the ice demon's heart to break him from the bond of his shadowed self, thus saving him form a very slow and agonizing death that he was doomed to had Satoshi not acted as an executioner of mercy. Krad had protected him from Verruckt's madness, from the demon of the Shadow world when it had entered his mind, and then again when he had lost Krad that night…when the 'Immortal Chain' took Krad's soul in exchange for Dark's…Satoshi wasn't sure how, but Krad had done something to make sure that Satoshi wouldn't be harmed by the terrible burning magic of the blade. Krad had done all of this for him…yet he felt powerless to help Krad in his most desperate hour of need. He felt sick to his stomach. Here he was feeling completely defeated when he hadn't even fought back! There had to be something he could do? He was a Hikari…he was a part of Krad and vise versa, it was time he did something for his demon for once, but where to start? Of course whatever it was that took Krad wouldn't be stupid enough to stay at the place where it had just recently destroyed…no…it would retreat to some place familiar and secluded. Plus, he was a Hikari; he could feel the presence of the magical artwork if he got close enough.

His mind was set. No matter what it took or how long it would be…he was going to find out why Krad could not return to him, and set things right.

Not even three heartbeats after he had made his decision he was on his feet, a little shaky at first, but it only took a moment to regain his equilibrium. He couldn't let Daiiki or Emiko see him leave, they'd try to stop him, and he knew it. His attention turned towards the window, it looked freezing outside, not uncommon for this time of year, but all Satoshi had on was a navy blue long sleeve shirt, his blue jeans, his sneakers, and skin. He didn't see a thing in the room that could have clothed him any warmer, he'd have to stop off at his apartment and get a coat…that is if he could get there without freezing to death.

Before he could give himself any room to doubt or have second thoughts, he walked over to the window and opened it; a slight gust of wind made him pull back a bit, but his determination made his body leap forward and out the window. The dawn was fast approaching, it would be warmer soon, he told himself, but he couldn't wait; a moment longer without his second soul was torture. The rift in his chest caused him such agonizing pain and loneliness that he unconsciously began to run down the street. The sooner he got to his destination, the better. For once it was going to be him to save his demon, something no Hikari in their right mind would have ever thought about doing…all but this one, the last…well, at least the last living, Hikari.

**Notes from the Author:**

OMG OMG OMG! **bow bow bow** Forgive me forgive me forgive me! I've had like, half of this written for like a week now, but I haven't had a chance to finish or post it because I've been working so much! I only get 2 days off a week and I normally spend it trying to catch up on lost sleep, **bow bow bow** FORGIVE ME! I promise to finish this fanfic no matter what! But I just won't be able to o it at the speed I am so known for…cries Please for give me! And thanks for reading and reviewing!

With all My Love,

_Gen. Kelbora Lyn_


	13. A Pact With My Shadow

**Chapter 13:**

Krad had seated himself beside the river that was flowing smoothly and peacefully in front of him. His eyes looked as though they were watching it, but he was deep in his own thoughts. He had been listening to this person named Dark for at least an hour now in silence, trying to absorb all he had to say…but a lot of it confused him. Like how someone could live in the human world, not be human, have magical powers (all of which he had no clue how to control), and all through the help of inhabiting a human child called a "host". He had so many questions to ask, but he kept silent and listened to Dark talk.

"So you see it's all quite simple, how we can exist through a bloodline of families, passed down through the generations…kind of like family tradition, you know?" Dark said as he continued to pace behind Krad talking as though he were educating a child, which annoyed Krad a bit, but he remained silent, "And every time our hosts either die, fall in love, or we expose ourselves, we fade away until the next generation of Niwas and Hikaris. Any part of this confusing you?" Dark asked as he looked down at Krad who was still looking down at the water, holding his knees in silence.

'Any part of this confusing him?' Hell, all of it was confusing him! If all that Dark was saying was true… then Krad really was a monster. An alien among humans, a demonic parasite who has to live inside of a child to survive, and the thought made him sick. But Dark still hadn't answered the one question that might have explained a lot of this to him…

"Dark…" Krad asked quietly.

"Yes?" Dark replied and stopped pacing to look down at Krad, who still hadn't turned around.

"…How were we born into this life? Why would we be born to uphold such a terrible destiny with no end?" Krad asked as though the question itself hurt to speak.

Dark's heart stopped a moment; he had been trying to avoid this question all night, because he feared the true answer would hurt Krad more then it would help him. He could lie, and cover up the truth…

"Give me an honest answer…" Krad said as if reading his other half's mind. "No matter what the truth is…I want to hear it."

Krad had still not turned to face Dark; he was still staring down at the water with his cat like eyes that reflected back on him sadly. Krad could feel Dark sit down next to him and stare down at the water too, but he didn't look up from the reflection of his own eyes…his demonic…inhuman eyes.

Dark was silent for a while before he finally decided to follow Krad's request, though he knew he wouldn't like it, "…We were once one being, you know…Light and Darkness…the perfect balance. We were created by the very family you are bound to serve for eternity…and I'm bound to serve your family's worst enemies for just as long." Dark began hesitantly, "It all started when they tried to seal us…seal away the magic of the great work that they themselves had poured their blood and souls into making…but something went wrong…terribly wrong. I guess that was the worst day of our lives…Heh, and ironically, it was the first day of _our_ lives."

Krad finally moved his gaze from the water up to Dark's face; he had a sad smile on his face that was slowly fading into an ominous frown. Krad had never seen this face on Dark before, he looked as though he were to sad to be angry…though his eyes held an unreadable emotion to Krad that made him wish he'd never asked the dark angel for the answer to their birth, but Dark wasn't looking at him and sighed again continuing.

"Our soul was ripped apart…we became two incomplete remains of a soul…calling out to each other, only to be silenced by a master. Instead of sealing us away forever, we were sealed inside of the Niwa and Hikari blood lines…the opposite of what our creators wanted." Dark was silent for a while and then continued again, "Most of that time is just a confusing blur to me…I vaguely remember my first host, or my first time in mortal flesh, but after that I just kind of became a family heirloom passed down from one Niwa to the next, the greatest Phantom Thief of all time born into a family of thieves…go figure right?" Dark said with a false chuckle.

Krad saw no humor in it, but knew Dark was covering up a darker emotion with his smile. "But…what happened to me?" Krad asked and Dark looked over at him, their eyes connected and then Dark couldn't bear to tell Krad while looking directly into his eyes, it was too much.

"I never found out what happened to you until you told me not to long ago…the only thing I remember myself was seeing you again, for the first time since we were split. You…I know you wouldn't have done it had they not made you too…but for the past three hundred years you…well…" Dark said trying to think of a nicer way of saying it, only to draw a blank and sigh, "You tried to kill me…"

"…I see." Krad said and turned back towards the water in silence.

"…From what you had told me…after we had made our truce…was that you were trained to hate me…to hate all of the Niwas." Dark began biting his lower lip, "You were forced to do terrible things…they tried to strip you of your humanity, make you a true demon. They tried to break you…" Dark said and then after a moment smirked, "But you're a hard on to break, as I'm sure you already know."

Krad thought about this a moment and gave a small laugh, oh yeah, he was hard to break…so thick headed, stubborn, and ridiculously hopeful that someone would care enough to save him from the bowels of hell that he was barely left with a life and no memory at all…before he was thrust into that nightmare. A shiver run up his spine at the memory of that foul place, though he quickly shook his head and refused to remember that place again.

As he was coming out of his own thoughts, he felt something warm embrace him. It startled him at first and then he looked up to see Dark with his arms wrapped tightly around him and his face buried in the area between his neck and his shoulder. Dark's soft midnight wings were wrapped protectively around the two angels, it felt so familiar and loving. Krad's face quickly blushed and he was confused at what to do, even though something inside was desperately enjoying this, he felt strangely uncomfortable. As far as he knew, according to Dark, he had spent the past three hundred years trying to kill him…so why on earth was he hugging him?

"D…Dark…?" Krad stuttered a bit as Dark tightened his embrace and pulled closer to him.

"…Just…please…let me hold you like this…for a while?" Dark pleaded softly, almost as if it were his dying wish.

Krad thought this was the oddest request in the world he'd ever heard, but slowly he decided to give in to Dark's strange request…he even unconsciously leaned into it. Dark was warm…he felt so complete just being near him, which would make sense since, according to Dark, they were once one being…but there was another emotion mixed into these feelings. What was it? Kindness? Acceptance? …Love?

"…I was so afraid…I'd never be able to hold you…like this…again."

Krad was pulled out of his nirvana by Dark's voice and slightly turned his gaze to the dark angel holding him from behind. He wanted to listen to what Dark had to say, but was a bit upset at the peacefulness of the moment being interrupted.

"See…after three hundred years of hating each other, trying to kill each other, and believing that there was no other way to co-exist…we finally saw the truth of the matter. That one can't live without the other…you were the only consistent thing in my life…" Dark said softly, trying to keep his emotions in check, "Because I was eternal…the mortal things around me faded away…the only thing I could look forward to, knowing that the only other eternal thing there was in the world…was you."

Krad felt Dark's breath against his neck and a slight blush rose to his cheeks again. Dark was probably the only person on this planet that felt this way about him. He was just like him…in every way…nonhuman, eternal, magic user, angel, and the other half of his soul. Dark was beautiful in every way, both at heart…and in body. Suddenly a new feeling emerged from inside, was he…attracted to Dark?

"Dark…?" Krad said, only to be silenced by Dark's index finger pressed against his lips as Dark looked up at him.

"Just listen…" Dark said with his voice drenched with sincerity and determination, almost like he was pledging a vow to get into heaven, "I can't restore to you three hundred years worth of memories by telling you about the events of our lives, past. I promise to you…I will get them back…your real memories, _your_ memories. But…" Dark began an then stopped for a moment and looked down at the ground, "I can't guarantee that you'll like…all of the memories you see…not all the experiences in your life or mine have been…exactly good." In fact, the only good memories in Krad's life were the ones he'd spent not trying to kill Dark or the Niwas…and they were only until recently…and still to few in number to make up for the tragedies and horrors of the past.

Krad thought about this for a moment, he had hoped to get his memories back…though he'd never considered that some memories…he might not want back. Slowly he gently grabbed Dark's chin and lifted his gaze up to his, Krad had a small smile on his face and spoke his next words in all honesty, "Good or bad, having haunting memories are still better then having none, especially since…I'll only get to have my good memories…if I take the bad. So don't worry about it…I've survived them once, I can do it again."

Dark looked saddened at Krad, 'Yeah…you did survive through them…once…but the second time…' Dark had thought back to the time when Krad's mind was penetrated by the demon of the shadow world. Krad had almost lost himself when the wall holding back those horrible memories was torn down and he was forced to relieve each painful experience all over again. He still wasn't sure how Krad did it…but he was able to repress those memories after a while, the wall took three hundred years to build, and was torn down in one night. Would Krad be able to pull through that again?

Looking at Krad now, his innocently determined face, his slightly blushed cheeks, his soft golden hair that smelled so sweet, and his light and fair skin glistening softly as the half risen dawn reflected off the water onto it through exposed parts of his wings. Beautiful…a heavenly white angel against a backdrop of night colored feathers…beautiful. Dark wanted nothing more then to kiss Krad's lips again, swept him off his feet with all the unbridled passion he'd been forced to keep inside since Krad's soul and body separated. He wanted nothing more then to let his caged inner lust take over and have Krad, whom would have met his own lust with his own fullest passion…if he had remembered their past. But Krad didn't remember. Krad only knew about the times when he and Dark would fight bloody battles every night for three hundred years, he knew nothing about their love or their passionate relationship…it would be like taking advantage of him…and Dark couldn't bring himself to do it. Krad meant too much to him, and he hesitantly and regretfully pulled himself away from the white winged angel, slowly unwrapping his wings from around the fallen angel and folding them back behind him.

Krad looked surprised and a bit disappointed to feel Darks warmth leave him, he showed it all over his face when Dark stood up and turned away from him. He stared at the dark angel for a while until Dark turned back around to him with his cocky smirk on his face, which gave Krad the impression that he was coving up his own disappointment as well.

"Alright then, we'll get you memories back. No matter how long it takes or what we have to do to obtain them…we'll get them back, and restore them to you." Dark said confidently as if it would be a walk in the park. "With me on your side, there's no way we can lose!" Dark said proudly and flexed his wings indicating that they were going to be leaving this place by air.

"Yeah…so long as you don't get careless…right?" Krad added with a scowl and Dark blushed a bit and gave out a nervous chuckle.

"Er…that was a…a one time thing, honest!" Dark countered quickly and impatiently flapped his wings, "Shall me go?"

Krad stood up and groaned a bit, "Um…you mean…flying don't you?" Krad asked apprehensively.

"Um…yeah." Dark responded as if that were a _'duh'_ question, "What? Don't tell me you're afraid of heights?" He asked with a taunting grin.

Krad glared at the dark angel and clenched his fists irritatingly before his own wings flared and then fanned themselves as if answering to a challenge, "No I am not." Krad said simply with a tone of annoyance and defiance. "It's just that…well, I haven't have much…had much luck…with flying…lately."

Dark raised a curious eyebrow then laughed hysterically causing Krad's face to redden, "My God, Krad that's a good one! It's like riding a bike you never forget-" Suddenly Dark caught himself at the end of the sentence and looked up at Krad's angered and embarrassed face, "…You're serious aren't you?" Dark asked in amazement and shock, he'd never expected to hear that.

"In case you've forgotten, Dark Mousy, I _have_ forgotten everything. So rubbing it in isn't going to improve the situation. So if you didn't hear me the first time, I can't fly that well. Got it?" Krad growled as he glared upon Dark's shocked and jaw dropped face.

Now normally, this would have seemed hysterical to Dark as it had just a moment ago, but now this became an unforeseen problem that now brought another more pressing question to his mind, "Um…Krad…er, is there anything else…um…you're having problems controlling? Like…your…er…magic and stuff?" Dark asked with a worried tone and his expression turned a bit fearful. Krad had much more magical power then he did, and if that got out of control then Krad might be more of a danger to himself and Dark then the enemy. And that had Dark a little worried.

Krad's face went to a more like, _'you're kidding me'_, expression and motioned with his gaze to the destroyed trees and ashes everywhere caused during Krad's "episode", when his terrified emotions caused his powers to lash out at everything around him. "No…I think I've got a handle on them…" He said exasperated.

Dark groaned and smacked his forehead with his palm, "No…damn it…" He moaned as he realized Krad was a ticking time bomb without his memories…not only were the secrets to his past hidden within his memories…but how to control his powers too! "Okay…this isn't a problem. I can…I can try and give you a crash course in sorcery, yeah sure…no problem!" Dark said regaining his confidence…though somehow this didn't sit well with Krad.

"Let's just go…I can figure it out on my own. I'm not some helpless child you know." Krad hissed and spread his wings wide taking off into the sky before Dark could say another word about it.

Dark looked upward at the angel above him and smiled, 'Yeah…memories or not…he was still the same ol' Krad.'

* * *

Satoshi burst through the door to his apartment, shivering like mad and hugging himself in a vein attempt for warmth. He had made it to the apartment alive, or at least barely, he was so cold. Slowly he slide down the wall by the door trying to pull himself as close together as possible for whatever body heat he had left. Stupid, stupid, stupid! It this was a stupid idea…he should have stayed in the loving warmth of the Niwa home…why the hell did he even consider doing this again?

"To save Krad…am I correct?"

Satoshi's head shot upwards and he stared at the dark apartment in surprise and fear for a moment. Someone was here…he didn't sense it until the voice spoke but he was sure someone was here…but he couldn't see anyone! Suddenly Satoshi took a deep breath, and when he inhaled, he could see his breath. He didn't feel cold, on the contrary the apartment was quite warm…but then how could he see his own breath?

"To be afraid of the coldness of death is a weakness…my dear kin, one of which you must over some if I am to offer you my aid…dear Hikari boy."

'_Kin' Who the hell is here?'_

"S-Show yourself!" Satoshi demanded leaping to his feet, which caused him to wince as his head spun a bit.

He heard the light chuckling of a woman coming from the darkest corner of the room. And there, sitting in a chair, laying back contently with her legs crossed, was a woman with an ominously dark aura…and wickedly cold eyes, much like his own. He had noticed no signs of forced entry…how…how did she get in here?

"Oh, that's the amazing thing about our family, Satoshi-sama…We have the ability to seek each other out, and I have felt your troubled soul for some time now…and have come to offer my powers to help my dear, dear, sweet heir to our great family line…"

"Our…family…? That's impossible…" Satoshi said staring at those Hikari trade mark eyes in shock, "I…I'm the last living Hikari!"

"You're right." The woman said with a sad smile, "You are the last…_living_, Hikari…But I assure you…through my veins does run the noble Hikari blood. But you already knew that, didn't you? You felt it in that tormented soul of yours…you knew it the moment you heard my voice…dear brethren."

Satoshi stared at her in shock. He did know, there wasn't a doubt in his mind what family she belonged too…but a spirit, the long since dead soul of one of his ancestors has come to help him? No, he wasn't that gullible…his family tortured and tried to break Krad many times…what was she really after…and why come to him?

"Hmph. So what, I acknowledge you're a Hikari…but I know all about my, so called, noble ancestry…what are you really after?" Satoshi demanded never moving or taking his eyes from the woman, whose eyes had narrowed into that of amusement.

"Ah…my dear, Satoshi. I see that you are wise beyond your years…you must have suffered much to obtain such honed instincts…loneliness, emptiness, fear…hopelessness…"

"SHUT UP!" Satoshi shouted and clenched his fists. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME? TELL ME NOW AND GET OUT OF MY LIFE! I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR DAMN FAMILY!" Satoshi was so angered by her words, he didn't know why, but hearing **her **say that made him want to explode. Maybe it was because…her words were to true.

A moment of silence ran through the room, then as a storm outside had quickly approached, a flash of lightning revealed to Satoshi the image of this ghost, and her crimson lips were smiling.

"It's okay Satoshi, I'll stop…Believe it or not I do care about your feelings. And if you do not wish to speak of them, then I will respect that. As I have said before, I am only here to help you, not harm you in any way."

These words…he had heard them before…false words, he knew…but still…

"And why would you want to help me?" Satoshi asked accusingly, "You're the ones who started this whole mess, you created 'Black Wings'…and the 'Immortal Chain'…you're all mortals who tried to play god…and lost. Why would a damned family like you want to help me save a creature you tried to destroy?" Satoshi demanded as another flash of lightning brought about a massive down pour of rain and a clasp of thunder. He could see through the small flash of light that the woman's face had turned icy cold with silent anger and distain…and then she smiled sadly again and bowed her head timidly.

"Yes…our ancestors did create 'Black Wings'…the work that gave birth to the curse of the Hikari and Niwa families…and yes…the 'Immortal Chain' personally created by my wicked brother, who used it to slay me in my final moments." Slowly her blue eyes moved upwards and locked with Satoshi's widened ones and sighed, "Yes, the 'Immortal Chain' was the sword that took my life…I admit, I had created it…but not for an evil purpose…but…it like all of our great family's works was cursed with immeasurable power. I sought to hide it, keep it from those who would try to use it for evil…" She said with a dramatic pause and another sigh.

"Then why didn't you just seal it? A sword is a weapon for killing…why would you even create the thing in the first place." Satoshi asked suspiciously.

The woman bowed her head again ashamed, "I…I couldn't…I couldn't seal something I had spent so long in creating, I suppose if that makes me a sentimental fool then so be it…as to why I created it," She said looking up at Satoshi with a bashful smile, "I'm sure, you've felt it…the power of inspiration. You can't sleep, eat, or even think straight unless you've created what your muse has enslaved you to do…such is the true curse of our family, Satoshi…and I fell prey to it." She said as she sadly gazed out the window at the raging storm.

It was true…Inspiration was a slave master. He had indeed felt it before, some things he wouldn't have even considered creating in a million years came to life in his head and demanded release through his hands. But to be slain by your own creation…he could only imagine what that felt like. He did feel sympathy for her…wait, what were these feelings inside? Where had they come from? Could…could this finally be the one person who could…understand him, a fellow Hikari?

The woman felt Satoshi's defensive aura fading and his body relax more and more in her presence…and a smile swept across her face, hidden by the shadows. He was giving in to his human weaknesses, but she didn't have much time left, Dark's last attack had nearly destroyed her like it destroyed her prison…but no matter, as long as she existed…so did her beloved and accursed jewel, her key to restoring herself to full power and to her own mortal flesh…and the ironic part was, she was going to do it with the help of the one Hikari who ever gave a damn about the very demon who had been enslaved her family for three hundred years, and the very creature that had given her traitorous brother the power he needed to send her to her grave…oh, revenge was sweet.

"So…tell me…why do you want to help me?" Satoshi asked now more confused and unguarded then he had been only a few moments ago.

The dark haired woman turned her saddened eyes back unto her family's descendent, who looked more liked a child then ever now. She bowed her head again hiding her face, "I had never held any malice towards the Hikari demon…he had been a part of my brother at the time of my murder…but it was my brother's hands that wielded the sword…the sword with was my creation." She said and looked back up at Satoshi with a pride filled and determined expression on her face, "My creation, the very thing I had put my soul into creation had already committed a sin…and now through the sinful emotions of my brother, it has taken not only a life…but a soul as well. I cannot let my creation be free to destroy innocent lives any longer…unlike my family; I care about the suffering of my kin. And you, I am sad to say, have suffered far to much for one so young…Satoshi…" She said and then suddenly her body lurched forward and she fell to the ground clutching her chest and cringing in pain. She looked completely helpless and weak, Satoshi rushed over to her without a second thought, but as soon as his hand touched her shoulder he jumped backwards. The hand that had touched her was coated in a light layer of frost; she was colder then death.

"Oh…my God…" Satoshi replied in shock looking at his hand then back down at her now kneeling in front of her, "Are you alright?"

The woman shook with pain and slowly looked up at Satoshi with half open eyes, "It's…it's nothing…but when I am in the mortal world…with-with no energy to draw on…I…I…I become weak and…oooh…" She moaned and fell backwards gently against the chair.

"The how can you help me if you're in such a state? Perhaps I should just do this on my own, for your sake." Satoshi said looking sadly upon her.

"No…I…I am the only one who can undo my creations crimes…without me…you cannot win…would you, would you not do anything to…save…Krad?" She asked breathing slightly softer.

Satoshi looked upon her with wide eyes, yes, he had promised himself that he would do anything to save Krad, no matter what it took. He had never been much of a believer in God…but…maybe he had heard his prayer and sent this woman to him? Was it possible? She was the creator of the 'Immortal Chain', and she was right in only a Hikari can undo it's actions, and he wasn't even strong enough to take it on the first time, but she…it's creator…maybe this was his answer on how to save Krad. He sat silent in his thoughts for a long while, he seemed to be fighting a battle within himself, something inside was screaming not to trust her…but his other side was saying that this might be the only way. Slowly Satoshi pulled himself out of his war and looked up at the woman with determined filled eyes, and she knew she had won.

"First…tell me your name." Satoshi asked firmly.

"Shizuma Hikari." The woman said with a sweet smile, and no to Satoshi's attention, it was tainted with triumph.

"Alright then, Miss. Shizuma Hikari…what do I have to do?"

**Notes from the Author:**

OMG OMG OMG! EEEEEEEEEP! I WAS TRYING TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER BEFORE I WENT TO WORK (and needless to say I got carried away and went from 7 pages to 10) AND I HAVE TO BE AT WORK IN 20 MINUTES AND I'M NOT EVEN DRESSED! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! **screaming at the top of her lungs running around in panic circles** AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! **bow bow bow** Please forgive me for the once again slow update, but I promise you I'm trying really really hard to find the time to write! **bow bow bow** Thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and critics…I LOVE YOU ALL! And now….I'M OFF TO WORK BEFORE MY BOSS KILLS ME! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

With all my Love,

Gen. Kelbora Lyn 


	14. Free Fall

**Chapter 14:**

The atmosphere around the room was cold, but not with the coolness of temperature, but with the bone chilling aura of dark magic. The demonic sorceress had completed her task with more ease then she could have ever hoped for, her blood line must have weakened over the generations…her once great family was now barely clinging to life through a soul survivor, this weak pathetic child. At first she was disgusted and mortified to find the only remaining Hikari left was not but a child who had no idea of his magical potential, after Dark's sudden and powerful last stand she had been reduced to a mere spirit, nothing but a fading apparition. With the little magical energies she had left, thanks to the dying family demon, she had found her last living relative…weak, helpless, and desperate…she had hoped to find a young wizard with mild control over his powers…instead she found a boy who had no idea they existed. She had sold her soul for the greatest black magic known in the mortal world, so that she could live forever, and her greatness passed down through her descendents…but no…she had to die prematurely, and her great legacy that she had hoped to leave lost in the pages of long forgotten history!

But these thoughts had ceased now…she had survived. On the brink of destruction again, she had arisen from the ashes and easily manipulated the last Hikari into willfully giving her the power to merge their souls. Power…power was once again returning to her, slowly, but soon she would regain her former glory, soon she would rise again and unleash her vengeance upon all who had opposed her…past…and present. One angel was already dead…though she would have loved for him to have survived longer, he was a rather amusing play toy, she was sure she had seen to the end of the light of 'Black Wings'. But the dark…the dark half had survived, and nearly done her in…he would pay…oh he would pay dearly for that humiliation, and she would make sure that this time, it was her inflicting those never ending deaths upon him, and not her treacherous brother. The thoughts of running a demonic blade through Dark's flesh was like a nostalgic fantasy, the feeling of his warm blood covering her hands, his agonizing screams of pain filling her ears, and his dying life force feeding her soul. The thought sent shivers of pleasure down her spine and her crimson lips spread into a cruel and wicked smile. She would drink the dark angel's blood and savor every last drop before sacrificing him to add to her soon to be overwhelming power. Oh how she longed to finally put an end to the life of Dark Mousy.

"Why didn't you kill him then…my lady."

Shizuma was aggravatingly brought out of her thoughts remained with her back turned to her enslaved eternal knight, "You have no right nor authority to question my actions." She replied sharply and attempted to go back to her fantasizing.

Damous bowed apologetically but the look of bitterness and dread never left his face, "I would not dare question your words, my lady…but…I…I couldn't help but sense that you were…enjoying…your flirting with Dar-"

Suddenly Damous's words were cut off by and harsh slap to the face. He was stunned by the sudden blow, but remained on his feet and now starring at his mistress's angered face.

"Must I repeat myself, you lowly vassal?" She hissed venomously, "How dare you question me, ever! Do you honestly believe that with Krad's power alone, I could defeat Dark while he was at the peek of his power? Emotions are very powerful, slave, they can give you greater strength then the devil himself, but they can also be a weakness! His desire and determination to save a loved one made him nearly invincible! But by tainting his emotions with the forces of lust, pain, and guilt, he was reduced to a helpless kitten…now…" Shizuma said lowering her tone to a dangerous growl, "If I have to repeat myself again…I'm going to cut out that flapping tongue of yours and feed your unworthy soul to the demons of hell…now leave my sight! Your very presence makes me sick!" The sorceress commanded and turned away from her bowing servant.

The knight was use to his mistress's temper, and her wrath…but since he had been released from the dark prison of the now shattered sword…he had begun to gain a will of his own. He had never felt before a resentment or anger towards his mistress…not like he felt now. The urge to strike her back and let his own blade bath in her blood was becoming harder to control with each passing moment. He had always believed to be in her service…but since her release and her power significantly weakened by Dark…he had come to believe this not to be so. Something inside was beginning to surface…what was it? Memories from his time in life? Perhaps from a time when he had a will and independence of his own? Was there ever such a time?

"You're still here…have my commands fallen upon deaf ears, or are you looking forward to an eternity in hell?" Shizuma snapped still with her back to her lost brother as her eyes gazed down upon the sleeping young man below her. So innocent and unknowing…he had willingly given her his soul to save a monster that has been long since dead…what a fool. "This child believes what I have said to be true…meaning that if he sees you here he is either likely to fight you, or realize what I have said is a lie…and I do not own enough of his soul yet to control him. Now leave this place and find Dark!" Shizuma commanded harshly still refusing to look at the knight.

Damous was brought out of his thoughts and bowed again, "But that is the reason I have come, my lady…I have found him, alive and well…but…" Damous stopped to chose his words carefully, his mistress will not like what he would have to say next.

"But…?" Shizuma asked impatiently.

Damous sighed after finding no other way to phrase his report, and ground his teeth together nervously, "But…he was not alone."

Shizuma let these words play in her mind a moment and halfway turned around to see her knight, "Not alone you say? Then who was with him?" Shizuma asked suspiciously.

"…Krad…he is still alive, my lady, alive and regaining his power much quicker then…then you, my mistress." Damous finished and took a deep breath falling silent to bare witness to his master's rage.

"ALIVE?" Shizuma screamed now fully facing Damous with her fists clenched and her aura turning the surrounding area to ice, "ALIVE? THAT DEMON IS STILL ALIVE AND REGAINING POWER? YOU FOOL!" She screamed and with a great wave of her magic she sent the braced knight reeling backwards with a huge gash across his breastplate, "I TOLD YOU TO FINISH HIM! AFTER I DRAINED HIS POWER, YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO DISPOSE OF HIM! YOU FAILED ME DAMOUS!" She shrieked and flared another attack at the now kneeling knight.

Yes…he saw him alive…he was going to kill him, finish him off after his mistress had regained a form in the living world, but just as he was about to drive the blade through the dying angel's heart for the thousandth and final time he hesitated. He saw Krad as if he had seen him before, as if it were he who's heart was about to be slain at the mercy of his sword, he saw himself as Krad, as he had hundreds of years ago. His blade stopped, suddenly a past life had overridden his mistress's command, and he stepped away from the seemingly dead angel. The sudden memory and emotions frightened him, it was at that moment he began to question his identity as a nothing but an eternal and lowly servant to a great Hikari sorceress. As if his own emotions had taken control of his will and body, suddenly without warning, words began to surface in his mind…words of a spell. But how could a knight such as he know the words to a powerful spell? Suddenly these words escaped his lips without his consent and the once dying angel was now healed and released from this eternal purgatory. For some reason he had known what the spell would do, he had done the unthinkable and undermined his mistress and returned Krad's soul to his body…a body that was now his, and his alone. He could not return to Krad the memories that were taken from him, but he had restored his life…but why?

'Because, my old ally will aid me in the destruction of my greatest foe…'

These words repeated over and over again in his head as a wicked smile crossed his face. By reuniting the two angels of 'Black Wings', he would gain the sweet revenge he had been denied for over a hundred years…and _her_ death will be so-

He was brought out of his thoughts by a sudden cold hand gently stroking his cheek, the hand of the one being he hated more then any other, yet he had no clue why.

"Wait…" The dark sorceress said softly and a dark chuckle lightly emanated from her smileing lips, "Krad is alive…and has returned to Dark…yet…oh, oh this is to perfect." Shizuma laughed aloud completely forgetting the knight who kneeled below her.

Damous looked up at her confused, but dare not speak as his mistress might remember her anger towards him…perhaps she didn't know that it was he who had revived the white angel, or why he had done so?

"I am currently alive due to the memories I had taken from the devil…his powerful emotions of pain, hopelessness, suffering, and hatred…and now, because of his host's feelings of desperation, helplessness, and fear…" She said more to herself then to her attentive knight, "If Krad is alive again…then he does not remember a thing…and yet he still gains more power…Haha, more power for me that is…" She said turning from Damous.

"My lady…I'm afraid I don't…" Damous began only to be cut off by Shizuma's sharp glare in his direction.

"Don't you see? I feed off of the power of negative emotions, Krad will have no memories of the happiness he had so recently come to acquire…only the pain and suffering of what he felt at our hands. And now that Dark, which I'm sure by now, knows that Krad remembers nothing of their love, he will be devastated!" Shizuma said harshly then smiled, "And once I have taken Krad's soul once again and then Dark's…I will have more power then I even did in life! Oh this is too perfect!" Shizuma smiled and looked back to Satoshi who was unconscious on the couch in front of her, "But it will be to soon to strike now…I will give the lovers a bit more time together…let their feelings of despair grow to an unbearable point…and then, when the time is right…" The sorceress continued and materialized the blood red stone in her hand, the stone once sealed within the crystal sword that locked away her soul, and smile, "Then I shall make them suffer the pain and torment of a thousand deaths before I seal them in everlasting darkness…"

* * *

To Dark's astonishment, Krad had done extremely well flying on his own. Despite what he had thought earlier, Krad's body seemed to remember more about the joys of flight then he did, which gave Dark a slight spark of hope that his body might also remember, to an extent, how to control Krad's explosive magic. His biggest fear was Krad blowing something, or someone up by accident…namely, he was afraid that Krad might accidentally set his magic loose on him! However, magic is a very dangerous thing if one doesn't know how to control it; another fear that worried Dark was that Krad might accidentally harm himself.

Krad himself was actually enjoying the feel of flying, though the night was extremely cold, it didn't seem to bother him that much, Krad after all, was and ice demon. The feel of the cold wind hitting his face, the exhilaration of the blood and magic flowing through his wings, was unlike anything he had experienced before, and he loved it. The only thing that dampened his mood was the feeling of Dark keeping a close eye on him, almost waiting for Krad to make a mistake that might send him plummeting from the air. Then a smirk crossed Krad's lips, maybe he should play a little game on Dark and show him a thing or two about flying.

Dark had become a bit more relaxed about Krad flying on his own, though he had strayed a little behind the white winged angel to keep a better eye on him. Suddenly his confidence turned to panic when Krad suddenly folded back his wings and went into a spiraling free fall. Dark's heart leapt into his throat and he dove down after the falling angel, he was so stupid to take his mind off of him for one second!

Krad looked up, and as he had thought, Dark had indeed followed in a panicked pursuit behind him. Krad laughed to himself and looked back to find himself getting closer and closer to the ground with each passing second, but it was to soon to pull up just yet, first he wanted to see just how far Dark would go to "save" him.

The first thing that caught Dark's eye was the large lake below them; at this height they might as well be hitting a stonewall! Dark's fear quickly consumed his own concern for his own safety and he drove himself faster towards Krad, but he wasn't catching up fast enough! Dark couldn't bear to lose Krad again, not like this, not ever! He thought about using magic to speed his decent, but he was to far into a state of panic to perform a spell properly, damn it!

'Almost…almost…not just yet.' Krad thought to himself as he looked back up at Dark. Krad was very impressed to see that Dark hadn't faltered on his decision to try and save him, he was even increasing his speed to a point where if they didn't pull up soon, they'd both become shattered bodies against the clam water. 'Not just yet though…let's see just how far you'll go till you decide to save your own skin, Dark Mousy…' They were seconds from impact now and still Dark refused to pull up, finally Krad spread his wings open in a flash and created a counter current on the water with the force of his wings shooting himself upward, this in turn saving a stunned and still falling Dark who crashed down into the cold lake. The impact of Krad's powerful gust, that he had intentionally made, was to act like a cushion that was spare Dark from certain death, it'd be no fun if his would-be-savior was nothing but a broken body on the water's now splashing and violent surface.

Krad was amazed, Dark would have died just now…died to save him! He didn't even show signs of second thoughts or the desire to spare his own life trying to save the demon, and he was completely astound when Krad had softened his blow in the water with a perfectly timed flap of his wings that spared him the deadly fall into the lake.

Krad smiled and almost laughed aloud, the thought of the supposed great phantom thief drenched and bewildered from head to toe, with the most precious look of surprise and anger on his face was just the most hysterical thing he could think of! How would the seemingly carefree thief react when he resurfaced from the water? Krad found the thought most amusing and hovered lightly above the lake waiting to see Dark's reaction to his little prank…but Dark wasn't resurfacing.

At first Krad just looked at the now calming lake surface with a good-humored smile and softly fanning wings, but after a while, with no Dark in sight, Krad suddenly became confused, and then a bit panicked himself. What if he had miscalculated the counter force and the recoil swallowed the dark angel whole? What if Dark was just going to fast and slammed into the water before the cushion had formed? Had he killed him? Had his game back fired…was…was Dark…dead?

These ideas caused Krad's once humored and amused expression to darken and worry. Suddenly he could no longer take the waiting, the impending guilt that he had caused the death of most likely the only person in the world that loved and understood him. Love? Did Dark really…love him?

Suddenly, a hand shot up from out of the water and grabbed Krad's ankle forcefully, and with a powerful jerk, thrust Krad into the freezing cold waters below him. Krad let out a gasp before he was submerged in the lake; the shock was so great that he didn't even have time to fill his lungs with air before he was plunged into the freezing water. He shut his eyes tight and the hand let go of his ankle and his head broke through the surface of the water; his grateful chest heaved in as much air as it could and he coughed out some of the water that had taken up in his lungs, that were now happily filled with oxygen.

"Two can play at that game, my suicidal friend." Dark growled sinisterly from behind the blonde as Krad quickly whirled around to face the madly insane face of his counter part…and it scared him a bit to see Dark glaring at him with such a wickedly frightening smile.

"Ah…we-well it was just a…a joke. No need to take it so…seriously." Krad said shakingly defensive and trying to hid a smile.

"Oh…a joke was it…" Dark asked narrowing his eyes and making Krad back up a bit only to have both arms grabbed harshly at his sides and held closely in place by Dark, "Scaring me half to death with your little stunt, then dropping me unceremoniously into a freezing cold lake, drenching me and my favorite coat, then hovering above the water laughing at me…was that suppose to be your idea of humor, my dear Krad?" Dark asked, his face only inches from Krad's.

Krad's eyes were wide and unsure whether to be scared or amused. Dark was gripping his arms so tight they began to feel numb, and though he was a bit sorry about Dark's take on his little joke, it was still pretty funny. "We-well, if you put it like that…" Krad began and then couldn't help himself but laugh as he looked at Dark's soaked and dripping hair and face, his wings were like saturated dark curtains behind the thief's back, and the insane look on Dark's face was priceless and one of a kind, "I found it amusing!" Krad chuckled and felt Dark's grip tighten.

Dark's next move was unreadable and unexpected; suddenly Krad was forcefully dunked into the water again, completely for a few second, then Dark lifted him back above the water so he could breath. Krad coughed again and his amused face turned to one of anger and rage.

"What the hell was that for?" Krad demanded still tightly in Dark's grasp, and to his surprise Dark was now the one amusingly laughing.

"Now that was funny! Hahaha! You should have seen the look on your face! Hahaha!" Dark laughed loudly as Krad's face reddened with embarrassment and anger.

"Why you little…" Suddenly, Krad's next words were abruptly cut off by a swift, yet gentle, kiss.

Krad's eyes were wide as he stared at the man now kissing him, Dark's harsh grip on his arms was now a gentle embrace and wrapped around his lower back, holding him close. Krad wasn't sure what to do or how Dark went from trying to drown him, to kissing him. But some how, it wasn't as bad as he thought, his body instinctively relaxed and he felt warm all over, almost as if Dark was giving him something through his kiss…and if felt so comforting. If he had any memories like this one…he hoped that it was Dark on the other end of each kiss, God, how he wanted to remember everything about his time with Dark.

Suddenly the warmth was fading and the gone, replaced by one of Dark's hands on his cheek while the other still gently held him close. Dark was now looking at him lovingly and a sweet smile played on his face. Krad looked up at him, disappointed that Dark had pulled away, and still confused as to why Dark kissed him in the first place. But the memory of it brought a slight blush to his cheeks.

"You were running a little low on energy…so I thought I'd give you a bit of mine." Dark said with a cover up chuckle, "For future reference, try not to over exert yourself like that again…I can only give you so much energy at a time, and without a host, you have none to naturally draw on. Will you promise me, at least that?" Dark asked lightly and rested his forehead against Krad's.

'If this is what happens every time I "over exert myself…then I should do this more often!' Krad thought to himself inwardly, then suddenly his fatigue and tiredness caught up with him. He guessed that during the free fall, he must have built up so much adrenaline that he didn't notice his own exhaustion. But after feeling so relaxed in Dark's embrace, his body must have finally expended the high feelings of excitement that he fell forward into Dark's arms. He rested up against Dark's chest as Dark held him close, not seeming to mind at all.

"Hehe, see, I told you so." Dark chuckled as his wings rose themselves out of the water, fanning off the droplets creating a gentle rain around the two. It felt so surreal, like a dream. Suddenly Krad felt himself lost in the mist of Dark's light shower and before falling of to an exhausted sleep a question circulated through his mind, 'I wonder what a 'host' is like…'

**Notes from the Author:**

HOLY SHIZNIT BATMAN! I FINALLY UPDATED! XD **dances** See people, I'M STILL ALIVE! Over worked, under paid, exhausted beyond belief, hot as hell (FLORIDA WEATHER HERE PEOPLE!), and starving…sniffles…BUT! **Determination flames** I TOLD MYSELF THAT I WAS NOT LEAVING THIS COMPUTER UNTIL I HAD FINISHED ONE CHAPTER! (Okay okay…so I went to the bathroom a couple times…and got a bottle of water…cries But can ya blame me? They shut off my a/c for repairs…AND IT'S A SAUNA IN HERE!) AND SO I HAVE FINISHED CHAPTER 14! I hope you all enjoy it, and I do hope you'll forgive the shortness of it (it's only 8 pages…sniffles Forgive me my readers and fans!) And I am so sorry for not updating in forever…but college starts next Monday (AHHHHHHHHH!) and I almost passed out at work the other day because I was so dizzy and sick due to the heat…I even lost a day's pay because I had to go home…cries But I promise you all I'm trying really hard! I really wanna finish this story, most likely the last to the Distance series.

Thanks again to all my readers and commenters! I love you all and it is you that drive me to finish this story on top of the chaos that is my life! **hugs and kisses to you all** Till next chapter! Oh…and PS to the Dai x Sato fans out there…WE'RE GETTING TO IT SO PLEASE BE A BIT MORE PATIENT WITH ME! I PROMISE YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

With all my Love,

_Gen. Kelbora Lyn_


	15. I Trust You With All My Heart

**Chapter 15:**

Emiko and Daiiki were sitting in silence in the kitchen together. Daiiki was intently staring at his teacup while Emiko was sadly looking at the wall of picture frames by the hall, pictures of happier days. Her favorite pictures were of Kosuke and Daisuke together and happy, though they were few in number, she treasured them all. One was Kosuke holding the tiny little red haired infant in his arms and giving Emiko a gentle kiss on the forehead, another of Daisuke's second birthday when Kosuke tried to cook his son a birthday cake…only problem was, that Kosuke was most likely the most dangerous cook on the face of the earth. The strawberry icing cake was a burnt, lop-sided, three layer monstrosity from the depth of what looked to be hell's kitchen. Emiko laughed to herself at the memory, no one wanted to even touch the cake for fear that it might come alive or explode, all but Daisuke. The young Daisuke had clumsily fallen face first into the cake and happily ate it, Kosuke was so happy; she supposed that that was one of the happiest memories she had, of her favorite two men, covered in strawberry icing, laughing and happily eating a deformed birthday that Kosuke had made with all his heart and soul. How she longed to return to those days, to return to Daisuke being a carefree child having a normal loving family…but for a Niwa, it was never to be. Those years only lasted for a short time; Kosuke had left to discover all he could about the connections between art works and magic, and then Daisuke began training to become a phantom thief, the host and vessel of Dark. Perhaps she was a bad mother for thrusting such a destiny onto Daisuke? What mother would forcefully change her son from a loving caring child, into a Phantom thief?

"Daisuke is still a loving, and caring young man, Emiko." Daiiki said suddenly bringing Emiko out of her thoughts, "You did nothing wrong. Though he may be a phantom thief…he hasn't lost his good nature or his humanity…unlike the poor child that rests in out living room."

Emiko had almost forgotten about Satoshi, but…her father's words did bring her comfort…and sadness. Though Daisuke had survived his fate completely intact, humanity, human feelings, happiness and all…Satoshi had not. He was and always would be scared by his bloodline, his curse as being the only Hikari left, left to carry that heavy name alone. Though there was much pain, suffering, and hatred attached to that name, there was also some good. Satoshi was a very gifted young man, an artist, a genius, very handsome, and deep down he did carry a good heart. Emiko wished he had had someone to share all of his troubles with, someone who understood him and could help him see a lighter side to his existence…

"Hohoho," Daiiki chuckled looking wisely at his daughter, "Fear not Emiko…I think he and Daisuke have become very close friends over the years, and I'm sure there's no better person on this planet that knows what he's going through then Daisuke."

"Hmph, I'm starting to think you can read minds, old man." Emiko said looking annoyed, though she was quite comforted by her father's wisdom and words.

"No," Daiiki said musingly, "No Emiko…I just know you all to well. I can tell what each look on your face means, and Emiko…you put too much of a burden on yourself." Emiko looked up at her father with a sad and guilty expression, "Emiko…you're a mother…something I could never understand about mothers was that they always consider every child they see their own…it's not a bad thing, but mothers who have more faith in their children, all of their children, smile more…and Emiko…" Daiiki said with a soft smile of his own, "You have such a beautiful smile."

Emiko felt as though she could cry at this moment, but she held back her tears and smiled. She was so happy to have a father like Daiiki, so wise and yet so human…he didn't act any higher then anyone else, and he didn't consider comforting her a waste of time. What a kind man he was, and she thanked God every day for him. "…Thanks, dad."

Daiiki smiled up at her and then took another sip of tea before setting it down and standing up, "Well then, I think it's time we went and checked on our young guest, don't you?" Daiiki said putting his hands in the sleeves of his robes.

Emiko gave a small laugh and stood up next to her father, "Yes, what kind of hosts are we just sitting her and talking about him instead of in there with him?" Emiko replied and walked down the hallway that led to the living room, but a sudden thud from upstairs made her stop just before opening the living room door. Had Dark and Daisuke returned? Ah! Did they succeed in finding Krad? Did they even know that his body was…?

Without warning Emiko ran back down the hallway and quickly ascended the stairs with her father dashing after her.

"Emiko!" Daiiki called out to his daughter who couldn't hear him, only the sounds of her prayers that circled through her mind that Daisuke was all right.

* * *

Dark had flown in through Daisuke's open balcony and landed in his room, the balcony was always left open when Dark and Daisuke were out on missions. Though this landing was a lot louder then most, due to the added weight of Krad in his arms, he was glad to have made it back in one piece. He had given Krad more energy then he had planned to, because he had lengthened the kiss, but he couldn't help himself…he had longed to touch Krad's lips for so long…and his one chance was when he had an excuse to break the promise to himself. He had promised that he wouldn't do anything 'romantic' with Krad until he had his memories back…but he was so low on energy, it gave his a reason to bend his promise…just a little.

Krad was still pretty low on energy, but thanks to the bit he had given him, his body was slowly regenerating his supply…though it would only work to an extent. Without a host, Krad would have to rest often to regenerate his supply, and he wouldn't be able to cast any huge spells without causing sever harm to himself. But just Krad being alive again made those trivial things seem like minor details. In the past, it had always been Krad who was the stronger one…and now he was, at most, only half of Dark's full strength. Krad was practically defenseless against the evils they now faced; this time it would be the thief who protected his hunter. The old Krad would have been furious beyond belief, and even if it killed him, he would try to rectify the situation on his own. But now, as proven by Krad's dangerous little game, the lost hunter wanted to make sure that Dark would be trust worthy enough to want to save him, to be counted on to protect him, to trust him.

It made Dark so happy to have Krad trust him again…this whole ordeal was his fault, and he took full responsibility for it. Yet even though he had confessed to Krad and told him that he was sorry for everything that had happened, and Krad even tried to kill him for it, Krad still gave him a second chance…something that he feared, the old Krad would not have done. He could only imagine what torture that Hikari witch had put him through…

* * *

"_You…you're the one who…sent me to that…hellish prison…?"_

* * *

"_You're the reason…I…I was tortured…and murdered…and you're the reason…I suffered…" Krad growled with his rage threatening to take over his semi-calmed voice._

* * *

"_You're the reason…" Suddenly Krad grabbed Dark by the collar of his coat and lifted him off the ground, "And you're the reason I don't remember a damn thing!" Krad screamed and clenched his free fist._

* * *

"_YOU'RE THE REASON I TRAPPED IN THAT GOD FORSAKEN PLACE! YOU'RE THE REASON THEY WOULDN'T LET ME DIE!" Krad screamed as he landed another punch to Dark's face that caused the Phantom Thief to cough out a large mass of blood, "YOU'RE THE REASON I HAD TO SPEND AN ETERNITY IN THAT DAMN MIRROR WORLD OF HELL! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CAST ME INTO THEIR HANDS, YOU BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL DID I DO TO DESERVE THAT!"_

* * *

The memory of Krad's words was even more painful then hearing them for the first time. They took every memory he had, the good and the bad, but the one memory they did leave with him…was the memory of the pain and suffering he endured alone and helpless…at the mercy of their hands.

"Those bastards…" Dark growled clutching Krad tighter and closer to him, "I'll kill them all…I swear it."

He had vowed before that he would do everything and anything to return Krad's memories, and now, he would do everything and anything to slay those who had harmed his lover. All this time it had been Krad's hands who were stained with blood, Verruckt, the demon of identitities…and though Dark wasn't innocent either, it was time that the darker angel of 'Black Wings' took life instead of his light…for his light. _His light._ _His angel of light. His Krad._

_'Dark…'_

Dark came out of his thoughts and again turned inward to where his host remained, still shaken and saddened. "Yes, Daisuke?"

'_Do you…do you forgive me for not…telling you?' The young man asked shrinking back from his other self a bit._

"Hmph." Dark smiled warmly and emanated no malice or anger towards the being he called host, and friend, "I never blamed you in the first place, I was bound to find out sooner or later…it was better that I saw it with my own eyes then by your words. So don't worry…if anyone is to blame…it's me." Dark replied as he gently placed Krad down on Daisuke's bed.

Suddenly, the door to Daisuke's room burst open and Emiko stood wide eyed and teary in the door way, with Daiiki not to far behind.

Dark smiled and turned inward again and extended a hand to his host as his body began to glow, 'It's okay now…you can go tell your mom it's okay…and I think there's someone down stairs who'd love to see you again…Daisuke…' And with that, handsome violet hair gave way to unruly red, and wine colored eyes became large crimson irises. Daisuke was in control now.

"Oh…Daisuke!" Emiko cried and ran forward to her son, wrapping her arms around him, crying and smileing to have her son home with her again. The fact that Daisuke's clothes were soaking wet and cold didn't deter the overjoyed mother one bit.

Daiiki gave a sigh of relief and smiled at the sight of his daughter reunited with his grandson, "Welcome home, Daisuke." He said calmly and quietly, inside, crying himself.

"Uh…h-hi mom, Grandpa…" Daisuke said smiling and a bit embarrassed at his mom who was still crying over him and holding him to tight, though he was very happy to see her too.

"Oh, Dai, Dai I was so worried about you!" Emiko cried and hugged Daisuke tighter, "When we saw Krad's body gone…he didn't return to Satoshi…some much time had gone by, the fire at the University was on the news…Oh, Daisuke!" Emiko cried even harder, Daisuke had never seen her freak out like this before. Then again…he had never spent so much time on a mission before…maybe, maybe after all of these dangerous night missions…tonight was finally her breaking point. Maybe these tears were all of the tears she wouldn't release all of those other nights…she really was worried about him. He smiled.

"It's okay mom, I'm fine, really." Daisuke said soothingly, "We did find the sword, and the spirit inhabiting it was holding Krad's soul…Dark shattered the sword and the woman escaped, and Krad's soul and body again, so we didn't fail…well not really…" Daisuke said now biting his lower lip as his mother continued to cry and hold him.

Daiiki looked mover at Daisuke's bed and saw Krad sleeping peacefully on it. Krad's breathing was now that of a living person and he could feel that, though it wasn't at its peek, his power was emanating and slowly recovering. But a woman, and they hadn't failed…really?

"Daisuke…what woman were you talking about? And why do you think you haven't fully…completed you mission?" Daiiki asked now turning back to Daisuke who was looking up to the person standing behind him in the shadows of the hallway.

Daisuke was silent for a while as Satoshi entered the room, his eyes weren't on anyone but Krad who was on Daisuke's bed, though all eyes but Emiko's were on him. He quietly stepped into the room looking completely composed again, though his mouth was slightly open and his eyes were a bit wide, he didn't acknowledge anyone's presence but Krad's.

"S-Satoshi…" Daisuke said almost trance like. His heart was pounding a bit faster and his cheeks slightly blushed as he looked upon his secret admiration, who didn't seem to notice him at all.

Daiiki looked over at Satoshi, then to Krad, then to Daisuke and finally Emiko. He remembered his own words, "_Daisuke understands Satoshi better then anyone…"_ He nodded and walked over to Emiko placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him tears still falling, "Emiko…we can get a full report a bit later…Daisuke," Daiiki said looking down at his grandson who's eyes never left Satoshi, who now stood beside Krad's bed. "We'll leave you two a lone for a while to talk things over…come now Emiko, I long for some freshly brewed tea, think you can help me out with my problem?" The elderly man asked with a smile as Emiko stood up giving one last look to Daisuke who gave her a small reassuring smile.

"…Yes, dad…Dai, if you need me…" Emiko began only to be cut off by another smile from Daisuke and another pat on the shoulder from Daiiki. "We'll be down stairs, don't be to long, okay Daisuke?" Emiko finished and whipped her eyes as she followed her father who shut the door behind him, leave the two boys alone.

Silence resonated throughout the room for a while, neither of them said or did anything, only standing still in the silence. Slowly Satoshi finally reached out his hand to touch Krad's only to hesitate and freeze, he had a distressed look upon his face and pulled away from the fallen angel.

"Why…why can't he…return to me?" Satoshi asked sadly still not taking his eyes off Krad.

Daisuke looked down at the floor unsure of what to say, this was the moment he longed for, yet dreaded with all his heart…having to tell Satoshi that Krad now longer had any memory of Satoshi or even having a host. This news was sure to cause his friend…his best friend…great pain.

"He…" Daisuke began, and sighed trying to make sure to word his news carefully, "Satoshi he's…"

"Incomplete."

Daisuke's head shot upward and he looked at Satoshi astound.

"He's incomplete…something is missing." Satoshi continued as if repeating the words of another, "His…his memories…he doesn't remember me does he?" Satoshi asked and finally turned around to Daisuke with a saddened, yet calm expression on his face almost as if…as if he was expecting this, "That's why we can't merge together, isn't it? It's because he doesn't remember me?"

Daisuke was staring at Satoshi with wide eyes and a shocked expression on his face. Sure this made having to tell him a bit easier…but why was he being so calm about it? Satoshi had always been one to hide his emotions under a veil of maturity…but this felt as if…he had no shock or anger about this at all, only a small bit of sadness and nothing more.

"Satoshi-kun…I…I'm sorry…" Daisuke said now more sadly, "Dark and I tried to save him…but even though the sword was shattered and Krad's soul was returned…something went wrong and…" Daisuke continued then stopped as he looked at Satoshi smiling softly at him, Satoshi…smiling?

"It's okay Daisuke…you and Dark did your best, but don't worry, because I intend to get Krad's memories back myself." Satoshi said walking closer to Daisuke, who's body, for some reason, was screaming danger and he unconsciously took a step backwards.

"But…by yourself? Satoshi, you don't understand, that…that sorcer-" Daisuke was suddenly cut off by Satoshi cupping his face tenderly, but his touch was so…cold.

"It's okay, Daisuke. This is something only I can do…so don't worry about me, okay?" Satoshi said lovingly bringing his face only inches from Daisuke's now completely flushed one, "I've obtained a power that will help me save Krad and return him to the place where he belongs. Hehe, you're so cute, you know that?" Satoshi said looking lovingly into Daisuke large red eyes.

What was going on? Satoshi wouldn't do this…I mean, yeah he liked him…no, he loved Satoshi secretly, but Satoshi had never been this forward before. Why was his touch so cold, and why were his instincts screaming for him to get away? He wanted nothing more then to kiss Satoshi where he stood, and this was the perfect opportunity! The two were alone, the morning just risen, in Daisuke's bedroom no less, but why was he shaking in Satoshi's touch? Something was wrong…it was like the time when the demon from the world of shadows had assumed Satoshi's identity and tried to kill him and Dark.

Suddenly the cold feeling was gone and Satoshi had backed away looking a bit disappointed but understanding, "You're afraid of me aren't you?" Satoshi asked sadly, he looked at Daisuke whom's face had now turned pale and his eyes were still wide, his body was shaking and not just from the cold, wet clothes. "It's okay for you to be afraid of me right now…I understand. I suppose this is how Krad felt when my ancestors would gaze upon him with fear and anger…though I bout you'll try to seal me away as well." Satoshi said with an oddly foreign smile.

"S-Satoshi…wha-what's…happened to you?" Daisuke asked wide-eyed and frightened.

"Daisuke, I've met…" Satoshi began then stopped and seemed to be preoccupied for a moment before lowering his head with a sigh, "Never mind…it's nothing." Satoshi recovered and looked back up to Daisuke with a smile, "I'm okay, but I promise you…once all of this is all over, you won't have to be afraid of me any more. So for now…please…just trust me and let me help Krad now…you've done enough already." The blue haired young man said and then walked back over to Krad with his back to Daisuke, "And you might want to change out of those clothes…you'll catch an illness if you don't. I'll stay here with Krad, so you and Dark won't have to worry." He replied as Daisuke slowly began to feel his legs and body again.

If he was this scared to be around Satoshi…then he could only imagine how Dark would feel about this. What had happened to Satoshi to cause such a drastic change to him? And why was he referring to himself as, 'feared liked Krad was' and that he wouldn't 'seal him away'? His touch was so cold…Satoshi had touched him before…but he was never so…cold.

Daisuke turned to leave the room, for some reason his mind and body wee telling him to stay away from Satoshi…but his heart was saying something different. But Satoshi was right…he had to get out of these wet clothes and tell his mom and Grandpa about the night's events. But what about Satoshi, she he tell them about his strange behavior as well? No, he would trust Satoshi as his friend had requested. For now he would even keep this from Dark, he could only hope that no harm would come to Satoshi or Krad while he was gone…but what could have possessed his friend to act this way?

"For now Satoshi-kun…I'll trust you…with all my heart."

Satoshi turned and looked at the door in which Daisuke had just left through and smiled before turning back to Krad.

"Yes…leave everything to me."

**Notes From The Author:**

SKWEEEEEEEEEEEE! 2 CHAPTERS IN 2 DAYS! **Dances** I thank you all so much for your support on not just my stories, but for my current situation as well. Adult life is new to me, and was thrust upon me rather abruptly, but I'm still trying really hard to find time to write, and my boos gave me a later time to go into work today to where it won't be so stiffening hot (which means it will only be 95 degrees outside instead of 102…not to mention there's a raging thunder storm outside…gee, thanks boss…AND THIS MEANS I'M CLOSING AGAIN AND WON'T GET HOME TILL MIDNIGHT…AGAAAAAAAIN! **Cries**)

**Bows** I thank you all once again, and I hope you all will enjoy this chapter! Its short, I know, only 8 pages again, but with only limited time to work with, I don't have much choice. Hugs and kisses to you all!

With all my Love,

_Gen. Kelbora Lyn_


	16. Cherish Our Final Precious Moment

**Chapter 16:**

Dark had completely collapsed of exhaustion inside of his host's mind the second they had made the switch. Daisuke guessed that he must not have had a decent bit of rest since Krad's body and soul were separated, and though his memories were still missing, at least he was alive and whole again. Daisuke was, in an awkward sense, glad that Dark was asleep during his encounter with Satoshi…he was…actually scared for him. Satoshi had never acted like this before, and what kind of power could he have possibly obtained that would make him think he could fight a powerful dark sorceress, from his bloodline no less, single handedly? Satoshi had never been interested in power, in fact he hated having it…back when he use to fear and loath Krad, he shunned power and did everything in his power to lock the dangerous magic inside of him away. So why was Satoshi acting like this now?

These thoughts continued to run through Daisuke's head as he endured the frustrating terror of 'a thousand questions' from his grandfather and mother. He had explained everything to them, except for what happened between Satoshi and him. When Daisuke's mother inquired about the fire, Daisuke had explained that during the fight between the sorceress of the 'Immortal Chain' and Dark, how Dark had shattered the sword and the sorceress disappeared after the shards all set the room ablaze, and how Dark had been hit in the gut by one of those flaming shards. Then when Daiiki had asked how they escaped with Dark exhausted of energy and hit fatally, Daisuke had explained that he had taken over and after he had also failed to have the energy to escape, Krad came and rescued him from the fire and healed his wounds. But then came the question Daisuke had been dreading… "Then why didn't Krad return to Satoshi?" His mother had asked…and he had to answer…

"While Krad's soul was trapped inside the 'Immortal Chain'…He lost his memories…" Daisuke said only to gain a gasps from his mother and a thoughtful nod from his grandfather, "His past…me, Dark, and even Satoshi…he doesn't remember any of it. That's why he can't return to Satoshi…he doesn't remember that he has to."

Daiiki thought about this a moment then nodded, "Yes…it all makes sense now…and now we know what we have to do." The old man said with another nod and placed his hands in his sleeves.

Daisuke and Emiko looked at his suddenly and Daisuke felt Dark stir a bit in his sleep inside. "Wha…What do you mean, Grandpa?"

"After hearing your information Daisuke…It all makes sense to me." Daiiki replied and sat down at the table in the kitchen followed by Daisuke and Emiko, "As you all know…the foundation of the Hikari's power was the ability to draw out powerful emotions from people…the emotions of not only the creators, but also their admirers. However, though the base for their power is the same, the darker sorcerers of the Hikari bloodline drew off of darker emotions. Instead of the emotions of, awe, happiness, inspiration, and pride that feed the light powers of the Hikari's, the darker emotions such as hate, anger, rage, sadness, fear, and sorrow feed the black magic users of the clan. So I think you can see why Krad was a prime target for a power waning sorceress, his life has been nothing but these emotions…and with such a tormented soul at her disposal; it's no wonder Dark almost died in a one-on-one with her. The fact that she gained such incredible power from Krad alone also makes me believe that she's still alive…and licking her wounds."

Now that Daisuke thought about it, she was a lot stronger then he and Dark had expected her to be…and from what Satoshi and Dark had told him about Krad's past, he could only imagine how horrible it must have been for him. But that still doesn't explain one thing that had been bugging him for a while now…why let Krad live?

"But…if the whole point was to drain Krad of everything…then why only take his memories? Why not just absorb his whole soul? Surely that would give her immense power, far greater then just his negative memories?" Daisuke asked crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"To take someone's soul, especially powerful ones like Krad and Dark's would be a nearly impossible task for a powerless sorceress…the only way would be to have them give up their souls willingly…which ever time I had fought Krad back in the old days, he was never one to give up without a fight." Daiiki said with a slight chuckle as he reminisced about the old days, "My guess is that she tried to break him first…causing some kind of physical anguish along with immense psychological harm. So…"

'So they killed him over and over again and wouldn't let him die…while she stole his memories to reduce him to nothing…' 

Daisuke sighed sadly as he realized that Dark was awake and heard everything Daiiki had said. He looked inward and saw Dark still curled up, as he would be if he were still asleep, only with his wings wrapped around him and a sadly detached look on his face. He knew that Dark blamed himself for what had happened, and this wasn't making it any better.

"Grandpa…" Daisuke said interrupting Daiiki from saying anything else that would send his alter ego into a more guilty state of sadness and despair, "What can we do to get Krad's memories back?" The young red head asked as Daiiki gave a small 'hmm?' and looked over at his grandson.

"Oh…well…with this type of tactic, there is only one way to retrieve the victim's soul or memories back…and that would be for the one who cast the spell to die or…be killed. However…I personally have had no experiences in these kinds of situations…so I can only hope that what I've read on the subject rings true. Because should there be a step we miss before we…eliminate, this threat…Krad's memories could be lost forever." Daiiki replied and Daisuke once again peeked inward to see Dark, contemplating this theory.

"Okay…then how do we find the one who cast the spell? How do we find…" Daisuke began only to be interrupted by his mother this time.

"Shizuma Hikari." Emiko stated and Daisuke looked over at her, she hadn't said a word since Daiiki's explanation of what had happened to Krad, "Her name is Shizuma Hikari, older sister of one of Krad's former hosts, and also his murderer."

Daisuke looked at her astonished, "How did you…?"

Emiko smiled and winked at her astound son, "I did my homework, Dai. Did you expect anything less from me?" She asked with a giggle.

Daisuke smiled and chuckled a bit himself, his mom was never one to just sit around and do nothing.

Daiiki chuckled as well and then his expression turned dark as he stared into the tea in the cup in front of him, "However, this is no laughing matter. Someone as sadistic enough to kill their own brother without remorse is a dangerous enemy. Imagine what she would do if given half the chance to kill you or Satoshi." Daiiki replied and looked over at his grandson who looked down at the ground, his face devoid of happiness, "And I don't think finding her will be that much of a problem." Suddenly Daisuke's head shot up and he looked at his grandfather with wide eyes, "If she's already tried to come after Dark and Krad before, it's only a matter of time before she tries again."

"Ah!" Suddenly Daisuke leapt out of his seat and slammed his fist onto the table, "Are you saying we use Dark and Krad as bait?" Daisuke exclaimed angrily.

Daiiki looked at his grandson a bit surprised at first, then with a hint of firm regret, "Daisuke…I don't like the idea much either…but if that's our only option-"

"Then we'll find another option!" Daisuke demanded firmly and glared at his grandfather, "If we just put them out there, we're just screaming form them to be killed! Krad can't even control his magic any more, not to mention without a host he'll be drained of energy before he can even throw a decent punch! Dark is completely out of energy and exhausted after the first encounter, they'll be slaughtered!" Daisuke shouted. He couldn't, no; he _wouldn't_ let that witch have a fair crack at his angel's once again. They had been through enough.

The room was silent for a while. Daiiki looking down at his teacup, Emiko looking sadly and silently at her son, and Daisuke glaring angrily at his grandfather, all to hopelessly out of alternatives to speak.

"…Daisuke…" Daiiki said after a while, "I don't like this decision either…but it isn't your place to decide."

Daisuke looked at his grandfather with wide eyes and a confused expression now. 'It wasn't his place to decide?'

"The decision lies with the two most affected by this plan. Dark…and Krad." Daiiki replied as Daisuke took a step back in shock, he knew what Dark and Krad would say to this…and that scared him beyond belief.

"You-You can't let them decide! They won't care what happens to them! That's like asking them to commit suicide!" Daisuke argued.

_'That's enough, Daisuke."_

Daisuke stopped and quickly turned inward to face his other half, who was starring down at him firmly and Daisuke felt helpless and intimidated. 'But Dark…you can't go through with this!'

_'I said, that's enough, Daisuke!" Dark said raising his voice to Daisuke causing the young man to flinch with unseen pain. _

Daisuke looked up at Dark and felt a knot tighten in his stomach, he felt so helpless, and Dark had never yelled at him before, and he did his best to hold back his hurting tears.

_'I've already said I'd do anything to help Krad, and I meant it. I vowed to kill those bastards with my own two hands…and if this is the only way to do it, then fine! I'll play along as bait, but Krad won't be involved…they've already taken enough from him anyway.' Dark said softening a bit with a vengeful sadness in his eyes._

Daisuke stood defeated. He knew nothing he said would change Dark's mind…all he could do was sit back and watch. His chest tightened with frustration and guilt, but he continued to fight back his tears, and nodded his wordless defeat to his other half.

"Daisuke?" Daiiki asked, his voice bringing Daisuke back to the living world, "What did Dark say?"

Daisuke was silent for a while and hung his head, "You already know what he said…" Daisuke said bitterly and turned away from his mother and grandfather. "I'm going to rest for a while in the living room…Satoshi and Krad can have my room for as long as they stay here. Please don't disturb me." Daisuke said as he walked into the other room and shut the door behind him.

Emiko leapt up to follow Daisuke, but Daiiki placed a gentle hand on her arm and she stopped, "Don't Emiko…this is something Dark and Daisuke must deal with…it is not our place to intervene."

* * *

Satoshi continued to look down at Krad as he still seemed asleep. Everytime Satoshi went to touch him, he drew back in fear, not fear of Krad...but...for fear of hurting Krad. Something inside of him wanted to touch the angel's pale skin, his pearl colored and soft white wings, to touch his angelicly innocent face just to make sure he was real and not a being made up because he wanted to see his angel again. But something else inside of his was holding him back, something inside of him was afraid that his mere touch would cause pain to the angel who shared his soul...and he hesitated. 

_'Go on...don't be afraid...your angel would never harm you...'_

'No...if Daisuke backed away from my touch...then...'

_'Krad does not fear power, as Daisuke does...he would understand... and not draw back from you...'_

'But he wouldn't remember me...I don't want to scare him away...not like I did to Daisuke...'

_'Touch his hand...he is real...he is Krad...he will remember you...'_

His internal battle continued in his head for sometime, before those softly spoken words finally over powered his fears and doubts. He slowly reached out his hand and after a moment of hesitation, he touched the fallen angel's hand. His skin was no longer the icy coldness he had felt before when Krad's bady lay souless on the alter...it was warm, warm once again with life. He could even feel a pulse. Krad now had a body of his own, and a pulse.Asmile spread across his face and joy filled him again to seethat this Krad was real, real and alive.But then...a sudden wash of sadness washed over him like a crashing wave of depression...Krad had a body of his own...he no longer needs a host...he is...complete...body a soul, without him. Without a host. Was...was Krad better off with a body of his own? Was this seperation...the answer to Krad's longing desire for independence and freedom?

Suddenly, Satoshi's emotions got the best of him and he let go of Krad's hand a backed away. Why was he having these thoughts? He had never felt this way before, his emotions had never impacted him this much before? Slowly he began to notice that he suddenly felt drainned and tired...but the horrible saddness and pain was gone, replaced by a hollowed emptiness. An emptiness that, for some reason, didn't seem to bother him that much, and his expression reverted back to his cool and deviod shell, as he suddenly looked upon Krad with a slight and small sense of resentment, anger, and bitterness. So what if Krad didn't need him anymore...he was powerful enough without _him_ now, so what did he care if he no longer needed a host? Wait...power? Didhe only ever look on him as a source of...power?

Satoshi frustratingly shook his head and headed across the room without looking back, closing the door and Krad behind him.

* * *

Alone…that's all he wanted to be right now…alone. He had so many thoughts running through his head, so many fears, worries, and the urge to cry and release all of his tears of frustration from his burning eyes. Slowly Daisuke slid down the double doors he was leaning against and slumped down onto the floor, he pulled he pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly. Thinking back, he had cried a lot, but not for himself…it was always for Satoshi, Dark, and even Krad…he had always cried for them, because they would never cry for themselves. Being the emotional outlet of the group, however, was beginning to take its toll. He had problems sleeping at night, staying awake during the day became a chore, always being so exhausted and emotionally drained to the point of numbness…he never asked for this role, he never asked for this destiny or this curse. Yet, deep down, he loved it…he loved having Dark, and seeing him truly happy after three hundred years of cruel death and rebirth, without this curse, he would have never met Satoshi…Satoshi. Just thinking about the blue haired young man filled Daisuke with a warm sense of calm and happiness. He didn't know why, but he had grown to love Satoshi with all his heart and soul, even before Dark and Krad had found their own love for each other. 

But now…the hauntingly dark, and cold image of Satoshi was emerging in his mind. He seemed like a totally different person, so foreign and…a stranger. He wanted nothing more then the reunite Krad and Satoshi again and have things return to…normal, he would do anything to help…but he felt so useless…he could only sit back, watch, and worry. He even felt responsible in a way for this whole situation, it was his dream that warned him about this whole predicament, it was he who was suppose to lose his angel, not Satoshi. He should have forcefully stopped them from entering that room, he should have told Satoshi and Krad about his dream…Krad would have listened, and so would have Satoshi…but not Dark…he should have known better then to think Dark would take this seriously. He was to psyched up about stealing something with Krad that he ignored any possibility of danger. He wanted to cry so badly, but he was tired of crying…he stubbornly held back his tears and sat there…alone…in silence.

For a moment, everything around Daisuke felt distant and dead, and slowly he felt a tug at his soul as his darker half separated from Daisuke and stood before him. Daisuke didn't flinch or move, he didn't even bother to look up at Dark's face; he only stared ahead at the fireplace that slowly cracked and danced on the far side of the room.

Dark stood there unmoving in silence a while before he took a seat beside Daisuke and also stared ahead at the fireplace. He didn't materialize with his wings, he didn't want to intimidate Daisuke, and he wanted to look normal. They sat there alone in silence for some time, before Dark spoke.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened, Daisuke." Dark said gently, "It was my decision and my careless mistake that landed us here…not you."

Daisuke remained silent, but Dark knew Daisuke was listening, though he could tell that Daisuke was trying hard to ignore him.

"…Daisuke…we've been through a lot together, haven't we?" Dark asked, though Daisuke didn't answer he knew he understood, "And through our experiences…things always seem to work out in the end, don't they?"

"…Yeah…this one turned out real well, didn't it?" Daisuke replied quietly and devoid of emotion. He continued to gaze at the fire and hugged himself a little tighter.

Dark gave a sad smirk and looked over at Daisuke a bit hurt, "But it's not the end yet, is it?" Dark replied and Daisuke was silent again.

Dark turned back again to the fire and sighed, "I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I will kill this Hikari witch, and return Krad to his host with his memories…" Dark said as Daisuke moved his eyes to the floor. "But know this Daisuke…I would never do anything to put you or Satoshi in danger…and in Krad's current state…I can't count on his assistance in this matter…so…I have a favor to ask of you." Dark replied, as he turned to his host, who was now face to face with him, "Please don't let Krad know about what I plan to do and keep him safe, and as far away from this fight as possible. Can you do that for me…Daisuke?"

Daisuke stared at Dark's face for a while; Daisuke's mouth was slightly open in protest…but Dark's expression looked so…sincere…and pleading. He was asking him, no, entrusting him to take care of the one person he loves most dearly, and asking him to keep him out of the fight with Shizuma Hikari…why? Shizuma over powered him a hundred times over, even with Krad in their last fight together…then she nearly killed him and Daisuke when Dark's rash actions provoked a one-on-one.

"But if Krad doesn't help, then how do you plan to – " Daisuke began only to be silenced by Dark's finger on his lips.

"Heh, don't worry about me," Dark replied with a smirk and a wink, "I can take care of myself…plus, I've got a plan that's sure to work. So, my dear Daisuke, can I entrust you with this sacred and most valued task I have put before you?" Dark asked raising an eyebrow and with a tone that suggested he was baiting his little brother into taking on a task that was sure to get them both in trouble.

Daisuke hated it when Dark treated him like this. They were supposed to be partners, equals, and if anything spirit and host…not siblings! Daisuke gave him an annoyed look, and then sighed bitterly, knowing that there was no way to neither deny this task nor talk Dark out of whatever he had up his sleeve. Right then and there, Dark knew that Daisuke had given in.

"I promise…But if I get wind that you're about to do something stupid or reckless, or likely to get yourself mixed up in a world full of trouble don't think I won't turn the other way and 'accidentally' let Krad go after you…Got that, Phantom Thief Dark Mousy?" Daisuke warned firmly and stubbornly.

Dark knew Daisuke wasn't kidding around when he used his full name a title like that, and he laughed and ruffled up Daisuke's hair playfully, "Oh, come on Dai! You worry to much, you're young and yet you act like an over protective mother!" Dark joked and Daisuke whined in protest as Dark put him in a good humored headlock and gave him a mocking pat on the head.

"Hey! Cut it out, I'm not your mother or your puppy!" Daisuke groaned as he wrestled with Dark for a moment then slipped free and moaned as he tried to straighten out his even more, unruly hair. Dark merely sat there and laughed at his feeble attempts, making Daisuke glare at him irritatingly. "And quite your laughing!" Daisuke pouted as he sat indian-style on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. And though he wouldn't admit it…inside, he was laughing too. He was glad that Dark was acting like his old childish self again, and even though Dark was picking on him…he was happy to see him smile.

"Oh…and what if I refuse?" Dark asked all, high and mighty, crossing his arms and mimicking Daisuke's sitting position. "What are you gonna do about it, little Daisuke Niwa?" Dark asked with a taunting grin that always seemed to rile Daisuke up.

Daisuke shot a glare up at Dark and then deviously smirked, "Then little Daisuke Niwa, is gonna wipe that grin off your face…like this!" Daisuke yelled and leapt forward tackling Dark backwards only to be left clinging to a black feather when he retrieved his bearings.

"Hah! To slow…you'll have to catch me first, before you can wipe this grin off my face." Dark laughed as he stood up tall behind Daisuke and gave a toothy smirk.

"Why you…get over here!" Daisuke yelled as he again tackled Dark to the ground only to be flipped over and tackled in return.

This was a friendly game they played, like rivaling brothers just messing around and having a good time. Sometimes, when Daisuke was young and alone, he wished that he had brother…someone who understood him and would never let him get lonely, and then on his fourteenth birthday he inherited the family curse. At first, he thought it was the worst thing that had ever happened to him, but he soon began to look at it a different way, he began to view it as a prayer that had been answered. Now, he was never alone, someone was always there watching out for him, and he in a way Dark was one of the only people on earth that understood him. In a way, Dark was the older brother he had longed for his entire life, two souls sharing one body, and one mind. He couldn't imagine a life without Dark, and he cherished every moment they spent together.

But what Daisuke didn't know, was that Dark was planning on this to be there last moment together, and he wanted Daisuke to enjoy it with a smile on his face, and that one prayer in his heart…that they would be together forever.

**Notes from the Author:**

Once again, I am forced to apologize for the late update…but college has now started and my schedule pretty much goes work, school, school, work, school, work, work…I spend more time in my car, at my job, and at the college then I do at home! And the only time I can write is after college homework (which believe me is no cake-walk…OI! **Faints**) and super late at night cutting into my sleep time (which is like the only time I come home…to sleep) I'm really stretching myself thin here, but I'm really trying to manage my time better! I might just ask for an extra day off work so I can just relax…though that means losing a day's wage and I now have bills to pay…sigh

BUT ENOUGH POUTING! MMWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I SHOULD BE CELEBRATING! After having been writing this chapter little by little each night for the past 2 weeks, I'M FINALLY FINISHED! **Biiiiiiiiiiiig grin** MEOW! I'M SO HAPPY! Now the story is coming together, and the end is coming, yet, even closer as we now pass the little past halfway mark! For one, what the hell is Dark thinking, going to take on a two hundred year old dark Hikari priestess alone? (This one even escapes me! I swear, that boy thinks with his testosterone then his brains!) Now that his twisted ancestor possesses Satoshi, what things will he now be forced to do as Shizuma slowly begins to devour his soul? Will Daisuke keep his promise to keep Krad out of the fight? And what will happen when Krad wakes up and meets Satoshi for the "first time"? And as Shizuma's powers and focus turns more and more to Satoshi, what new memories will her "faithful" brother uncover that could revive his treacherous vengeance towards the woman he once called master and mistress? DANG have I left quite a cliffhanger! AHHHHHHHHHHH! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! EEEEEEEEP! **Runs from the mob of angry fans flinging key lime pie at her fleeing rear** HEEEEEEEEY! I'M ILLERGIC TO CITRUS! MEOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

With all my love,

_Gen. Kelbora Lyn_


	17. The Sinful Side of Darkness

**Chapter 17:**

_"Where am I?" Krad asked himself as he stood in the room of darkness within his mind, the place where his memories were kept. Darkness covered the realm as far as the eye could see, and the only light in the world came from the reflections of his memories of his time in the place he referred to as 'the mirror world of hell'. He shuddered at the thought and moved, as far away from them as possible, he never wanted to return to that place again. _

_"So…these are the only memories I truly hold…" Krad thought to himself sadly, the thought of his only memories being that of pain and horror, "I wonder…when I do get my memories back…if I do get my memories back…" He corrected himself with a sigh, "Will I really have memories of happiness?"_

_"For a creature born of darkness…happiness is a non-existent luxury."_

_Krad quickly turned around to see a being hidden beneath a black hooded cloak, standing within the shadows of his mind. Krad couldn't see a thing about him other then his deathly pale hands and a silver hilted sword that lay sheathed at his side. Who was this man? How could another being existed inside of his mind? Was he…Death?_

_"Do not act so alarmed, Krad…Hikari…" The sound of that name he recognized began to recall something in his mind, and he felt the other being smile, "Having another exist inside of your mind is nothing new to you…since your, 'creation', this was how you've survived for hundreds of years…a demonic spirit…a parasite…"_

_Krad's eyes narrowed at his last comment…but something inside of him had heard this before…who was this man? Did he know him?_

_"Who are you?" Krad asked bluntly, "And how do you know so much about me?"_

_The being laughed, a laugh that sent a chill up Krad's spine, he didn't like this person at all._

_"Oh, you know me quite well…as I know you quite well also…" Suddenly the man disappeared and appeared inches from Krad's face, causing the surprised angel to jump backwards, "At one time, you and I were the same person…two souls, one being, one destiny. Once you and I almost succeeded in ending my great family's curse…we almost succeeded in killing Dark-"_

_"YOU'RE WRONG!" Krad quickly interrupted with a scream, "I may have fought with Dark in the past, but I would never kill him! I may be a monster, but I'm not a murderer!" _

_The being laughed again, this time with a loud and mad cackle, "You? Not a murderer? Hah! Come now, Krad! You can't honestly believe that your hands are unstained with blood?" Suddenly the being was gone again and in an instant behind Krad, his mouth inches from Krad's ear whispering to him softly, "Perhaps you've forgotten…what you were created to do…my dear angel?"_

_Krad was paralyzed for a moment and then spun around quickly and struck nothing but air with his fist. "What the hell do you want, you bastard? Come out and fight me like a man!" He demanded and quickly scanned the area for his opponent._

_Suddenly another light began to radiate from the corner of Krad's mind. He turned to it and saw another mirror…a mirror of his long forgotten memories, memories he spend an eternity trying to forget._

_Krad stared at it a moment as images began to play out in front of him, it all seemed so familiar…but what was it?_

_"What is this…?" Krad asked the darkness around him with no response._

_'This is you…the real you…this is a memory of what you truly are…monster…' a voice replied echoing through his mind._

* * *

**Krad stood tall and unmoving over the body of a horror stricken man, who was immobilized and laying in a pool of his own blood on the ground, his eyes wide with terror starring up at Krad as the angel glared down at him with an emotionless face. The man was dressed in aristocratic clothes of the Victorian age, his once rich and beautiful silk robes were now stained crimson and black with holes made by magical fire. He had been helpless and doomed that moment he had approached the ice demon…and the cost would be his life.**

**"H…how could you…" The man paused a moment as he violently spasmed and coughed up some of his own blood before gasping for air, "We…we created you…"**

**Krad continued to look at the pitiful dying man with no pity, remorse, or solace for what he had done, only detest and disgust. "Created me? I didn't ask to be created in the first place, old man…" Krad hissed and slowly a smile crept onto his face and he knelt down on one knee over the body of the mortally wounded man, "You damn Hikaris…you think you are gods? You think you can create slaves for your own fickle amusement…and then throw your, 'toys' away when they no longer amuse you. What a pathetic example of a 'god'…don't you agree, dear old man?" Krad asked with a mocking and dark chuckle.**

**The old man's eyes narrowed, his terror soon turned to anger and rage. His own servant…his family's curse for generations had the nerve to turn on his masters and dare to mock their great name? "You traitorous…!" Suddenly Krad's hand quickly and firmly took hold of the dying man's throat and began to tighten with un-human force, and Krad was smiling.**

**"I don't think I can listen to another damn word from you, Hikaris…" Krad said as if he were brushing off some minor annoyance, "Enjoy hell, my so called 'god'…and know that your wrenched family will soon join you. But know this…you will be the first sent to your grave…farewell." And with one swift squeeze, Krad felt the patriarch of the family that had tormented him for centuries, spinal cord, throat, and neck snap and cave in on themselves. How he had longed to silence that ancient fool's commends forever…his smile of satisfaction turned to one of maddened accomplishment. **

**Slowly Krad stood up over the body of his tormentor and raised his right hand to gaze at it. His victim's crimson blood, flowing gently down the hand he had used to murder that Hikari bastard, caressing and staining his white glove; Hikari blood…noble, yet filthy Hikari blood now ran down his hand. And the feeling…the feeling of ridding a Hikari from this earth forever was intoxicating…exhilarating…empowering…knowing that he himself had over thrown one of his supposed 'gods' with his own hand…the feeling was-**

* * *

"_WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Krad screamed as he backed away from the image and grabbed his head trying to deny what he had just seen. "STOP THIS! I COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS! WHY ARE YOU SHOWING THIS TO ME?" _

_He couldn't believe that he had done this, he just couldn't have! Taking someone's life, and enjoying it? No, this wasn't him, he couldn't have done this! Dark loved him…how could anyone ever love a murderer? That was his proof, he had someone who truly knew him and loved him. If he had really done this, then no one would have loved him. _

"_But you did…my dear angel." The being replied standing beside the mirror replaying the horrific images, "This man you just killed was my father…but I didn't mind to much…he was a traditional old fool anyway, hence why I never stopped you." The being replied with a smirk as his head turned to watch Krad break the old man's neck again, he seemed content with the events, and Krad was mortified._

"_You're lying…" Krad growled and clenched his fist, "I would never do this…you're lying!" He exclaimed again and backed away again slowly._

"_Am I?" The being asked, his attention returning to Krad, "What proof do you have to deny this? What, you think because Dark accepts you, that you're incapable of this crime? Haha, what a poor and pathetic fool…" The being replied and crossed his arms. "Haven't you considered…that Dark doesn't know about this part of your life?"_

_Krad's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that…could Dark not know about everything he had ever done? Was it possible that…No, he still didn't want to believe it. But if Dark did know…would he reject him…or would he cast his sins aside? This was too much…the only answer he could get would come from his memories or from Dark. He wanted out of this world, he wanted the truth, who and what was he? An angelic murderer, or a lost demon?_

"_Just stop this…let me out of here." Krad said as more of a plea then the demand he had intended._

_Krad could feel the being smirking from with in its shadows, "I'm not the one that's keeping you here…this is your mind, Krad. You only remain here because you know your memories…however bloody and horrible they may be…lie dormant with in this realm of darkness. And to prove it…I'll tell you one last thing before I go…" Slowly the being began to move closer to Krad making the white angel slowly retreat, but never taking his eyes from shadowed being, "You are now unsupervised and free to move about the house of our most hated enemies…the Niwa's…within this home rests a journal…a certain diary, if you will, of past hosts to the infamous Dark Mousy…your other half." The being stopped inches from Krad who could move back to farther and silence ensued a moment, "Within those pages, you will find, the true records of your past, as experienced by every Niwa for the past three hundred years…once you have gained the true knowledge of your existence…I will return to you a then we shall truly see what you really are." With a mocking bow and a chuckle the being backed away, "Until then…farewell, dear angel." And in a moment, the man was gone. _

_Krad continued to stare at the area where the man once stood, and then suddenly the darkness around him began to shatter and crumble forcing his eyes to open as he jumped up with a start. _

* * *

He was breathing erratically as his vision slowly came into focus and his surroundings were strange. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in Dark's arms in the middle of a freezing cold lake…and thought of that kiss they shared greatly calmed him and brought a slight blush to his face. Now he was in a bedroom, lying on a bed alone. He also noticed that someone had changed his soaked clothing and replaced them with a pair of black leather pants, a black tank top, and he was draped in a warm black leather trench coat…clearly these were some of Dark's clothes. A smile slowly crept up to Krad's lips as he thought of wearing Dark's clothes instead of his normal white outfit, what would Dark think of him if he took up this new look? Thinking of Dark brought another question to his mind; where was Dark? Judging from the red glow coming into the room, it was near sunset, had a full day really passed? 

Slowly Krad pulled himself up and with a sudden hiss, he grabbed his right hand and fell back down onto the bed. His skin felt like freezer-burn and the sensation of burning muscles caused him to cringe. Slowly he brought his aching hand into view and his eyes widened as he saw the image of another hand, a smaller hand that must have been holding his at one time, was burned into his skin. How did this happen, Krad thought to himself? As he went to gently rub the injured skin, he realized that touching it would only make it worse as he gasped and pulled his other hand away from the burning touch he received upon the contact, yet when he rested it against the cloth of the sheets he felt no pain...perhaps he only felt the pain when flesh touches the mark? He would have to avoid touching it as well as others, he looked over to the desk beside the bed and found a pair of black gloves, obviously Dark's as well, and he carefully put them on. There, he thought, that will do.

Krad stood up and pulled the coat onto himself, the feeling of leather against his skin was, at first, an irritating sensation, and then became somewhat of a comfort thinking that these were Dark's clothes. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment; damn…he and Dark really were a lot alike…in spirit and appearance. He chuckled to himself at the thought that he might actually pass himself off as the famous phantom thief, minus his now hidden white wings and his golden eyes and hair...but he shrugged off the thought.

As he stood there admiring himself he suddenly saw, no longer his image reflected upon the glass, but a flash of the man in black. He jumped backwards and stared at the mirror in shock, what the hell had just happened?

"_You and I were once one…"_

The words of the man in black echoed within his memory of that encounter, but was that encounter…really real?

"_You are now unsupervised and free to move about the house of our most hated enemies…the Niwa's…within this home rests a journal…a certain diary, if you will, of past hosts to the infamous Dark Mousy…your other half."_

The journal? …Krad thought about this a moment and looked down at the ground deep in thought. He didn't believe a word that…that man had said…but then why was hesitating about obtaining that journal?

"_A true account of your past…the past you have lost…lies within those pages."_

He did want to know about his past…every now and then he uncovered bits and pieces of what he was forced to forget. But the only clear memories he still had were from within that hellish prison of souls; there had to be more to his life then that. Suddenly without thinking or even realizing what he was doing, Krad found himself with his hand on the doorknob to the outside of this room. When did he do that? He didn't remember moving from one side of the room to the other? But now curiosity and the urge to prove the man in black wrong over came his doubts as he turned the handle and stepped outside. It was quiet, and he couldn't see any signs of life within the house. He had no clue where he was, or where this journal would be kept, but something inside was pulling him down the stairs. What was driving him to do this?

This unknown force was leading him to a darkened hallway behind the stairs, and there was a large and old oak door at the far end. The atmosphere as he neared the door became thicker and the faint aura of magic registered in his sixth sense; many secrets lie behind this door that are securely protected by magic. He feared that the spell over the door would repel him from it, but to his surprise his hand easily grasped the handle and pushed the door open without any resistance. This was so strange, he was bothered by the fact that he could feel the magic trying to push his back and away from the room, but at the same time, his curiosity heightened; What was so important down here that it needed to be guarded?

As the door slowly creaked open, Krad's eyes widened at the sight of the hundreds of books that lay within. Rows and rows of ancient texts, newly produced volumes, and some just barely broken in. Krad was in awe as he walked farther into the room, he looked to the very back of the room and saw a desk with some books and pages scattered about as well as a computer, as though this was a place of research, old and new alike. There were so many books here, Krad didn't know where he would find the one specific one he was looking for, but once again that invisible power pulled his attention to the third bookshelf on the left, third row from the top. His body moved on it's own accord towards it, his eyes gazed upon the seemingly ordinary and dusty old collection of texts; none really stood out, but one in particular caught his eye. A reddish leather book with a gold spine, covered in dust and cobwebs seemed to have some sort of relevance to him. His hand reached out and pulled the book gently from the shelf, why he picked this book was still a mystery to him, and he looked at the faded cover of the untitled book as the stirred up dust settled.

Could this really be the book he sought? Why on earth was he drawn to this particular piece to the ancient collection? Well, he thought, all will be revealed once I've read its contents. Slowly Krad opened the book and skimmed along the calligraphy engraved within its pages…words and testament of what Krad…truly was.

* * *

"_December 12th, 1818._

_Since my training at a very young age I had been prepared to except the Niwa family fate. I was prepared to carry out a life, that of a Phantom Thief. Yet, since I was small, my father had always warned me that though I had the powers of Dark with me…I was not invincible. I never believed him until tonight…tonight when I met the other half of the dreaded 'Black Wings', the other half of my power…the other half of Dark. _

_I was sent after yet another Hikari artwork, a sculpture known as 'Snow Everlasting'. It was a beautiful white marble statue, carved into the appearance of a snowy white dove as it flew into powerful winds; a truly breath taking piece. I admit I was cocky and arrogant, thinking this only to be another ordinary theft…but I was wrong…and my mistake almost cost me my life. _

_His appearance was that of an angel, but his soul was that of a devil. He appeared with such ferocity and power, I was overwhelmed by his speed and strength. It was the first time in my life that Dark, my loyal companion and co-existence, had taken over against my will. He fought the white devil to the brink of suicidal exhaustion, but the white clad monster was driven by some unseen madness. Though I am not one to sympathize with the enemy, I felt a kind of fear radiating from him…the fear of losing to Dark, perhaps…but I believe it was the consequences of what would happen should he lose to Dark._

_The white devil fought mercilessly, he had severely struck Dark twice in the stomach and back with a sword made of ice he had created with his magic. A smile of blood lust and delight in Dark's screams of pain made my stomach cringe. He enjoyed inflicting these wounds upon his other half, yet through it all, Dark had refused to result in bringing a deathblow to his other self. However his other self seemed as though he would end Dark's life by any means necessary, even if it cost him his own life. _

_It was a harsh and bitter battle; blood was shed in large amounts on both sides. However, Dark's opposite seemed to be willing to fight to the death even though his limits were breeched again and again…He was so consumed by madness and rage that his attacks became erratic and unfocused, he was destroying all around us. Dark was desperately trying to find some way out of this death bout when suddenly the second angel fell from the sky and crashed into the ground bleeding severely from the head, as though his own powers had turned on him. Dark wanted to see the fallen angel's condition, but I talked sense enough into him that he retreated half bleeding to death, but alive._

_I never want to see that monster again…he was unmerciful and bent on taking life no matter who's it was…not even his own. My father then told me this demon's name…the demon named Krad…"_

_Otoshi Niwa_

* * *

Krad stared at the book with widened eyes for a while, in shock and disbelief. This couldn't be true…quickly he began to flip through the pages, frantically searching for any entry that proved he wasn't a monster…a murderer…a demon. But what he found, only increased his dread...

* * *

"_September 24th, 1840,_

_Dark has become extremely uneasy as of late due to the horrific actions of his other self. It seems that he if losing his ability to feel his other self's emotions…and the few he has been able to feel have been ones of anger, sadness, and pain…"

* * *

_

He turned the page…

* * *

_"October 9th, 1863,_

_During a mission to Castle Deletori uth Croix, we found the bodies of the several guards around the castle and the painting we were due to steal that night, horrifically slain at their posts by the devilish works of magic, magic both I and Dark know to be that of Krad's…"

* * *

_

He quickly turned to the next entry…

* * *

_"November 9th, 1877,_

_"The body of another Hikari family member was found today, it is believed by the locals here that a demon had come and murdered the nobleman, andby the atrocity of the killing I am inquired to believe them. The man was found staring upward at some unseen foe that had once towered over him, his skin was burnt and charred by magic around his arms and face as though he tried to protect himself, but the most horrific thing of all besides the enormous amount of blood on the walls, was the manner of which he'd been killed…his heart was ripped from his chest while he was still alive…"

* * *

_

"NO!" Krad screamed and threw the book to the floor grabbing his head in a desperate attempt to remain in control, "I couldn't…I wouldn't…I…I NEVER DID THESE THINGS!" Krad was in such despair, he had hoped to find the secrets of his past…but this…this was inconceivable!

_"So much blood and death…all caused by you…"_

_'_I…I don't believe this…I don't want to believe this!'

_"Whether you want to or not…the truth is the truth…you are a monster…"_

_'_All these things…these pages are filled with nothing but…but horror! No…how could…how could anyone love a monster? It couldn't be true…Dark loved him…or maybe…maybe he just didn't know…if he knew, would he reject him, turn him away? Would he even…bring down upon him the justice he had avoided for so long?'

_" That's it…believe…let the truth of your existence seep into the void in your memories…remember who and what you are…remember your purpose, remember your deeds…return to the you that is the real you. Forget about ever being loved…love is a feeling unsuitable for a monster…and monster like you…"_

_'_Let it seep in…return to my true self…my purpose…' Eventually, Krad began to relax and settle down, his eyes soon became pools of molten gold, unfeeling and unmoving.

Slowly these words were beginning to become the only thing he knew. Deep down inside he knew they were true, no matter how much he denied it…he wasn't human, and what wasn't human was…a monster…wait…Dark wasn't a human…then was Dark a monster too? Suddenly Krad's heart began to race. No, Krad could accept being a monster…but not Dark. Dark wasn't a monster, but he wasn't human either…he was just…Dark. No! He wasn't going to fall for this, suddenly he began to remember the one bright memory he had, a memory that had kept him fighting till the end in that mirror world of hell. Darkness, pure midnight darkness…soft wings of ebony with a hand reaching out to him, a dark angel that had kept him alive and adamant during his thousands of deaths in that prison. That ebony winged angel…was Dark!

"No…I am Dark…" Krad growled and stood up clenching his fists, "And Dark is me. My sins are my own, yet we are one in the same."

_'Hah! You are two sides of the same dark sword, but you are a monster none the less!'_

"THEN SO BE IT!" Krad screamed aloud to the empty world around him, "If Dark can accept that fact, then so can I! I can't change what I've done, and I won't deny that I didn't do it any longer! Monster, demon, angel, I don't care! I'm a part of Dark…and that's good enough for me! NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Krad demanded staring down and unseen foe.

Suddenly the harsh and wicked sounds of laughter filled his head and he growled at the sound of being mocked.

_"Hahaha! What does it matter now? I have what I wanted, you've let in enough of your dark soul so that I can rise once again!"_

Krad's eyes widened with terror. "Wha…what do you mean?"

_"Hahaha, and as a favor to you, my dear vessel once more…I'll tell you a little secret about your dear Dark Mousy…"_

"Dark? Wait…what the hell are you talking about?" Krad demanded trying to maintain control of his ever-growing emotions of worry and fear.

_"I hope Dark is as adamant as you were during your stay within 'Ketteiteki Yasumidokoro', because thathell shall be his final resting place as well!" _

Krad's eyes widened with horror and his heart and breath stopped.

_"He's on his way there now. It's only a matter of time before the Mistress of that cursed place hands him that one way ticket to eternal purgatory." Slowly Krad's numb mind felt the presence smile._

Krad was speechless; he didn't want to believe this! He would never even wish that fate upon his worst enemy, less his Dark. No, he had to stop him, why would Dark even consider…

_"I can help you stop him…"_

Krad snapped to attention turning inward towards the dark presence in his mind, "You? And why the hell would you help me? You bastard, who the hell are you?" Krad screamed trying hard to hold back his rage and horror at the thought of Dark, in a crucified position, bond to that accursed red light, enduring death after death after death, being stripped away of his power, memories, and humanity…no, of if there was a god please don't let that happen!

_"Because in exchange for my help…I want something very valuable in return…something only you can give me my dear Krad…"_

"And what would that be?" Krad demanded still trying to rid that horrible image from his mind.

_The being smiled and pulled back the hood of his black cloak and Krad's eyes widened, "Become my body…as I was once yours…"_

**Notes from the Author:**

**Head spinning** Meooooow…. Well, 10 ½ pages and three weeks later…CHAPTER 17!

**bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow bow boooooooooooow** I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! **Cries** this chapter has been in the works for a few weeks now and finally I've finished it! **bow bow bow** Again I am so so so sorry! But I made it much longer for you all to hopefully gain your forgiveness in the matter! FORGIVE ME MY LOYAL READERS!

My schedule has been pretty hectic as of late, and between college, work, living with only 4 hours of sleep a night for the past 2 weeks, and a rapidly diminishing social life…it's been very hard to find the time to write. But my writer's block is now gone and I have some spectacular news for all my fellow nose bleedin yaoi fangirls out there…A LEMON FILLED CHAPTER **_MAY_** soon be on the way! Thanks to a collation between a yaoi fanfic goddess friend of mine who has agreed to help me out with my yaoi goodness-writing phobia, we may all have a good nose bleed shortly down the road! XD But until then this Fic remains a **"T"** rating. So until then my friends, I leave you with another one of my famous and glorious cliff hangers! Till next chapter! **blows a kiss**

With all my love,

_Gen. Kelbora Lyn_


	18. For What I've Done

**Chapter 18**

'_Goodbye_'. It was one of the hardest things in the word to say. A strong man would have the courage to say it to his loved one's when he knew the end was near, leaving them with one last positive image before a piece of their world was gone forever. But a coward holds his tongue and turns his back without ever saying a word…leaving those he loves without a shred of closure to hold onto when a void suddenly appears in their lives.

Which is what Dark had resigned to do now.

Behind the closed doors to the Niwa's family room, Daisuke was fast asleep on the soft plains of the couch. Oblivious to Dark's departure or future plans. It took a lot to stay with Daisuke and watch him fall asleep for what he planed to be the last time…it grated on his nerves to know he was taking the coward's way out, but it was the only way to proceed without Daisuke risking it all and interfering. Peacefully asleep…that's how he wanted to remember Daisuke. Safe and protected under the watch of his beloved family, innocent and pure as he had been born and should have forever remained without magical interference. No matter how well he was received, Dark knew he was just as much a curse as Krad, and the only thing standing between the Niwa's and Hikari's fulfilling normal lives.

So maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if he were gone.

Krad was his own person now, and with a body and soul, he could live outside of a human host. Yes, he would still need more time to recover his powers…and he would never be as powerful as he once was, but he would be alive. In a strange way, the Hikari's curse was broken; but the Niwa's remained so long as Dark was dependent on the body and blood of another. More still, if Krad had not interfered with Fate and placed himself before that wretched sword and his former arch nemesis, Dark would be the one without his memory…or worse, completely consumed by the very magic of the one's who created them.

He knew he was just justifying his reasons, he knew he was only trying to strengthen his own case to lessen the terrible guilt he felt. But he still couldn't swallow the idea of betraying the trust of the Niwa's and accepting non-existence so easily. His survival instinct had been honed for the past 300 years, and to completely contradict it now went against every fiber in his genetic make-up.

But he knew he had to consider it the price he had to pay to undo the sins he had committed.

The sin of altering the Niwa's lives for the past three-millennia, the sin of breaking the laws of magic and nature by existing; for causing the Hikari's as much pain as his own cursed blood line, for failing to control his insatiable ego…Worst of all, for failing to protect the one he loved most, and those who meant most to him.

It was with that heavy heart and solid resignation that Dark had separated from Daisuke as he often did when boy and spirit needed to speak beyond the mental plains of existence; then left his sleeping host behind as he traveled down the hall to the hidden passageway behind the Niwa's central stairwell.

The door was old and heavy oak, sealed with a magical protection, but Dark was not surprised to find the spell disarmed and the door unlocked; in a time like this, he doubted Daiiki and Emiko wouldn't take the chance to break out some of the heavier duty magical armaments. The heavy barrier gave way under his hand and he descended the ancient steps leading into the darkness of the-

Wait…why were the lights below on?

Dark had expected to descend into the gloom and darkness of the primordial storage chamber where the strongest and most powerful of the Niwa's artifacts were kept, but the dim lights wired into the ceiling were on. Again he brushed off the suspicion and wrote it off as negligence on the behalf of an excited young woman and a senile old man. The thought brought a bitter smile to the Phantom Thief's lips at the image of Daiiki catching onto that notion; his old host had an impressive temper at times.

Reaching the bottom landing at last, Dark proceeded forward through the rows of bookcases set up like a forbidden library; his goal being the treasures held in the very back. Shelves upon shelves of knowledge, sacred and outlawed arts, personal accounts throughout history passed him by without a second thought…for however powerful knowledge was, he needed something with a sharper edge and the means to wield that edge to take care of this problem. What treasure he needed was in a sealed chest, guarded by these silent guardians of pages and words, hidden within the walls of this chamber.

When Dark could see the end, the seemingly blank dead end of brick and mortar, he stood a few feet from the rough surface and scanned the wall end to end. He could feel all of the magical items sleeping behind this mortal barrier…every cell in his semi-physical body resonated with each silent breath, each pulse of energy, and dreamy plea of freedom the artifacts beyond emanated. Almost all were Hikari works, like himself, and he could feel the mystic pull each individual piece had on him; but he only wanted two particular vessels of power, and it was those two signatures he focused on.

Reaching out to run his hand along the cold wall, Dark continued to touch and magically search for the objects of his desire…and finally, approximately twelve steps from where he started, the surface beneath his hand flushed with warmth.

The two treasures answering his call, with enthusiastic acquisition.

Taking a breath, diverting a small portion of the power he was using to remain in the physical world while separated from Daisuke, Dark pushed his energy outward to form an archaic seal over the source of the heat. With a jolt, the nearly invisible barrier over the wall broke and a portion of the pressure in the air lifted…along with a closet sized section of the stone. The process took seconds; the wall pushing inward in a cloud of dust and groans from ancient mechanisms, then sliding upwards on a rail system older than the house under which it was built. What lay beyond was a shallow arch where a large glass case hung protectively over the two items the Phantom Thief sought.

A black gem, an onyx, the size of a lady's broach cradled upon a velvet cushion, gleaming with sable brilliance. And beneath it was an ebony case opened to reveal a shimmering silver dagger, one of a more European design in its lack of curves, but double edges and about as long as a child's forearm. The hilt of the dagger was platinum in precious metal with a single ruby large enough to be set in the hollow center of the handle, where it sparkled at both ends.

In aesthetics, both pieces looked amazingly plain…simple…and nothing more than traditional babbles. But Dark knew better. He had stolen these long ago; back when Shakespeare had yet to perform at his beloved Globe Theater, back when the monarchy meant something, and when no one alive today could boast of his accomplishment. These two seemingly different prizes were actually two sides to one of the darkest coins in the black arts: the power over souls.

Dark stood before them for a moment, beholding treasures he hadn't seen since the night he had taken them from a dark sorceress murdering young women in southern Germany. So innocent in appearance, yet so horrifying in power…but he needed them now to do his own destructive task, to fulfill his own dirty deeds. No, he wouldn't be torturing any innocent souls tonight, only that of his enemy's and his own.

"The fabled '_Youkai Sunadokei'_, and the '_Boukyaku_'. Quite an interesting set to pilfer from your own house."

Dark didn't even have to turn around to face the man intruding on his moment; he only smirked and shrugged his shoulders in amused indifference.

"Technically, this is the Niwa residence, but since I already stole them once, might as well do it again," The Phantom Thief replied and didn't take his eyes from the treasures even when he heard the shuffling footsteps coming closer.

Suddenly the old man sighed and stopped a few feet back from Dark, "Will there ever come a time when you'll be satisfied by not taking things into your own hands? Dark…my old friend…can you not think of another way to go about what you're planning to do?"

Dark's smirk became a mocking smile as he exuded the mock noises deep contemplation, "Hmm…nope, guess not, Daiiki, old pal. Looks like we're going to have to do this my way. And if you plan to stop me, decrepit old man or not, I'll be forced to do something I really don't want to do. So let's make this easier on the both of us…back off." Dark responded, his tone light and sarcastic before turning bleak and deathly serious.

He had made up his mind, and there was no going back on it.

Daiiki was quiet for another long moment, long enough for Dark to turn half way around to look at him. The older Niwa was dressed in his usual attire, however wrinkled it had become, and shown an intense weariness that made Dark's stomach clench at the realization of just how old his former partner had become. Daiiki hadn't been sleeping well, if at all, since the night he and Daisuke went to seal the 'Immortal Chain'…and all of the stress as of late had taken a heavy toll on the retired thief. It was times like this that Dark regretted his inability to age…because every mortal he grew attached to did, an eventually they faded, and died.

Daiiki gave Dark a saddened but understanding look, he knew what Dark was thinking as he appraised his elderly form. "You see Dark, you were inside of my head for a long time in my youth…so I've come to expect how you think and operate. I checked up on Daisuke, and when I couldn't sense your presence within him, I knew you'd either left or come down here looking for something to take before you do. You didn't disappoint." He finished with a stern tone.

Dark cocked another half-hearted grin and placed his gloved hands on his body suit clothed hips, "What can I say? I am to please. So, old man, am I going to have to get through you to get out of here, or will you step aside…for old time's sake?"

Daiiki's frown deepened, making his wrinkles stand out even more, his brown furrowing with displeasure, "…No, I won't stand in your way, but I think you're a damn fool and a coward for taking this route without even discussing this with at least Daisuke."

Suddenly Dark threw back his head and barked out an obnoxious laugh, "So you're going to lecture me into submission? Oh man, I would have much preferred you coming at me with a sword." He scuffed and placed his right hand over the glass case, another seal appeared over the surface before causing the obstruction to vanish, bearing the gem and dagger beneath it.

Daiiki was seething, but clenched his jaws shut to control his anger. His hands were clasped tightly, and once the shaking subsided he looked back up at Dark with a new sigh, this one of exasperation. "…Dark, I don't know what kind of relationship you and Krad have formed over the past year or so, I don't know what event caused you two to suddenly join forces to combat the evils we face. However, I do know that you and Daisuke have cared for and trusted each other for a long time now, and if nothing else, he deserves to know what's going on. Its not fair for him to be…kept in the dark like this."

Dark suddenly growled and whirled back around to face Daiiki, the old man not flinching at all in the face of the irritated Phantom Thief, "Of course its not fair, and its killing me inside by not getting to tell him a proper goodbye before I do this, but it's a luxury I can't afford!" He shouted, his wine colored eyes blazing with a plethora of emotions, "But if Daisuke knows, not only will he try to stop me, but he'll get everyone else, including Krad, involved again in trying to help me. We can't afford that now. No one is in any better shape to fight that I am, and Krad is definitely out of the running since his magic is uncontrollable right now. Satoshi is still in shock from having his second soul ripped out of him, and Daisuke is so deep in guilt that he isn't thinking straight; we're running out of time and this is the only solution I can think of that involves action now when its needed most." His tone was hard and becoming rough as those same emotions in his eyes began to swell beyond restraint.

"No Dark, I don't think its Daisuke who's not thinking straight, I think its you." The old man ground out, his own tone betraying his own negative emotions, "Action is all you've ever known how to do, it was always another Niwa doing the planning, and you going forth to do the deed. You know how to improvise on the spot, but you don't have the slightest bit of patience to stop and strategize. This situation does not call for rash actions, it calls for careful thought and a pull of resources; we're without Krad's aid, Satoshi's brain, and enough information to properly asses what kind of creature we're dealing with."

Dark's eyes narrowed, "I know she's got a soul and can bleed, that's good enough for me." His outrage was barely being reeled in by his waning self-control, and his left hand grabbed the onyx gem while the other grabbed the dagger.

Dark sheathed the blade in a leather scabbard designed for the pulsing weapon, and he clipped it onto a belt hidden on the inside of his trench coat. The gem was still clutched in his hand as he turned completely around to face Daiiki, the old man standing adamantly in front of the pathway between the bookcases he'd come from. It wouldn't have been harder than breathing to get back to the exit and make his escape, he could just turn his back on the elder Niwa now and be gone like the shadows before dawn.

But he didn't go. He remained standing and staring down at his old host…just as stubborn as he was, but unlike the true Phantom Thief…this one was right.

The silence stretched on before Dark's face loosened and finally portrayed how he really felt…tired, desperate, and alone. Seeing the noble spirit before him looking so option less and defeated, Daiiki's face too fell into one of sympathy and sorrow. He couldn't stop Dark from going, but that didn't mean he didn't understand why he was doing it.

"…I won't ask you not to tell Daisuke…I won't even ask you not to wake him up the second I leave and let him rally the whole world to drag my ass back here, you're to good a man to ask that of." Dark finally spoke, and held up his hand to silence Daiiki when the old man tried to speak, "I've been around a long time, Daiiki Niwa…and I've caused you and your family a lot of hardship. For every host who's future and chance at normalcy I've stolen, and for any chance at freedom from this curse I can grant the Niwa and Hikari families…I have to do this and set things right. The time to balance the scales is growing short, and I have to strike this witch down before she becomes any stronger. So…if nothing else…I selfishly request that you tell Daisuke…that I'm sorry, for what I've done and am about to do to him." With that, he gave Daiiki a weak and lop-sided smirk, "For old time's sake?"

Daiiki felt as though a terrible and crushing weight were dropped into his chest and stomach, his eyes staring at Dark with the fierce burning of tears threatening to fall. The old man locked his jaws together and turned his head away from his old friend, too grief stricken and pained to look at his repentant expression any longer. The Niwa's had always considered Dark and honor to carry and pass on, but that made him no more and no less a curse…but Dark was always something more than any of that, and he knew it. He was a friend or a part of the family, he was a symbol of pride and distinction for this family of thieves, he was…a treasure more precious than anything hiding behind these walls.

And with a physical form or not, he truly did have a heart bigger than most humans he'd ever met.

"…You fool…you're only doing this for yourself." He whispered thickly under his breath. But he knew he was taking to air.

For indeed, just like the shadows before the dawn…Dark was gone.

* * *

"Daisuke…Daisuke, honey, wake up."

"Mmmnn…" The slumbering redhead mumbled, so exhausted and desperately lacking in the sleep department for a few days, he opened his half-lidded eyes and saw his mom giving him a worried expression, "…s'wrong…?"

Emiko bite her lower lip, a habit to show just how fretful she was, and helped her son up into a seated position, though with the way the boy was listing, it wouldn't be long before his head hit the pillow again.

"Sweetie, now I don't mean to alarm you, but I was wondering if either you or Dark knew where Satoshi and Krad had gotten to?" She asked with only a minor flutter of nervousness in her voice, "I can't find them here or back at Satoshi's apartment…I thought maybe they had told you something before leaving?"

Daisuke's eyes suddenly shot open and the fresh rush of panic and adrenaline made him fully awake. Satoshi and Krad were missing? No!

"Uh, I-I-…" Daisuke stuttered before realizing something else…Dark was gone too!

Daisuke's heart was immediately racing and his breathe ceasing beneath the weight of this terrifying discovery. The place Dark usually occupied in his head was vacant, nothing but a void in place of his partner's resting place, Dark was…gone. Dark…Dark was gone!

Emiko instantly saw the sudden shift in her son's thoughts and became fiercely serious to hide her own rising panic, "Daisuke, Daisuke, what's happening? What's wrong?" She demanded, knowing only her harsh voice could get through to her son in this state.

Daisuke blinked rapidly, coming back from Dark's empty place in his mind, and stared at Emiko with a sudden realization. If she knew Dark was gone, she'd completely loose it and halt any attempts on Daisuke's part to get him back. With Satoshi and Krad gone too…that left no one left to help him but his frantic mother and elderly grandfather.

Two lives he couldn't risk for any reason.

Turning a complete three-sixty in mood, Daisuke swiftly flashed Emiko a beaming smile and reassuring chuckle, "S-Sorry Mom, its nothing, I was just lost in thought there for a minute. Um…m-me and Dark will go take a look around, you know, back at Satoshi's place and see if we can find any clues left behind." He said, quickly jumping up off the couch and nearly knocking the kneeling Emiko over in the process, her wide eyes looking up at him in befuddlement, completely bewildered by her son's sudden mood swing. "I'll be back once we know anything, thanks for letting me know! Love you!" He called out behind him as he raced out of the room and bee-lined for the front door.

Emiko suddenly snapped out of her daze and clumsily sprang up from the floor to chase after her son, "Wait, Daisu-" She was cut off by the door slamming, indicating Daisuke's escape from the house.

While Emiko was still busy composing herself and trying to collect her thoughts upstairs, Daiiki was still in the ancient storage room running his fingers over the handwritten words on the page of the book in his hand. He'd retrieved it from among the countless tomes cataloged throughout the chamber, and unenthusedly read the forgotten text.

_-"Behold, 'Youkai Sunadokei', the anchor to hold flighting souls to the world of the living, and her brother, 'Boukyaku', the severing force which wretches them from it." -_

**Notes From The Author:**

Wow, its been 3 long years since I last updated, and longer still since the very first _Distance_ story was published. I have to first apologize all of the readers who have been keeping up with these stories for so long and have written me countless e-mails, reviews, and pleas to continue on with the 4th installment of my series. I hope this come back chapter will be enough for now until the 19th chapter is completed (and yes, for you all I have already started on it). Be sure to look for the next chapter either later tonight or tomorrow! To all my loyal fans and lovers of DNAngel, thank you for your unwavering support, encouragement, and inspiration to start over again.

Thank you.

General Kitty Girl


	19. Gone

**Chapter 19**

His lungs burned, and every breath felt like raging fire to his airway and every capillary trying to capture the fast moving oxygen. It was cold out, and Daisuke had left in such a hurry that he didn't think to grab a jacket, but right now he could care less about hypothermia. Satoshi was missing, Krad was missing, and Dark was just gone! Why had he left without telling him? What could have possibly been so important that he would leave Daisuke oblivious and alone when there was a wicked Hikari witch running loose hoping to destroy them all?

Ah! Less thinking, more running!

Daisuke put an extra burst of speed into his frantic flight and tuned out the hysterical ranting of his brain. Right now he would head for Satoshi's apartment, as he said he would, and make sure there wasn't some vital clue his mother had missed when she'd gone there to investigate. Then, if he found nothing there, he decided that he might try and head back to the last places they'd seen the 'Immortal Chains' or that psycho ghost. His best bet was that one, if not all of them, had gone after the real deal or something related to it; he doubted that if his mom didn't know anything, then grandpa was as oblivious to an exact location as she was.

AHH! I said less thinking, more running!

Thanks to the extreme motivation to find any one of his friends, a normally twenty-five minute trip took a little less than ten minutes. He'd received a few suspicious or curious stares when he dashed through the darkened streets of town, but no one tried to stop him or get in his way, thank God for that.

Daisuke's legs were ready to give out on him when he reached the front door to the apartment, thankfully still unlocked from when his mother had been here. He briefly thought that his mom must have been very distracted to have left a house she broke into unlocked, clearly not the way she found it, and leave without a second thought, but right now the search was more important.

When Daisuke finally entered the small dwelling, the first thing he was greeted with was the heavy lingering atmosphere of…magic. Heavy magic with a faint sulfuric scent one would imagine accompanied lightning, the air was almost charged with it. That alone red flagged Daisuke to know that someone had performed dark magic here, and not too long ago.

Only black magic had that domineering feeling and that sour scent.

Daisuke was still catching his breath and already he knew that Satoshi had been here, but not alone, and someone with powers in dark arts had been with him. Emiko might not have picked up on it since her extrasensory wasn't as sensitive as Daisuke's, but even without that there was clear evidence of a struggle.

Not that Satoshi kept the apartment spic-and-span all the time; he rarely had time to do his own laundry between police work and school, but the faint char marks on the carpet and walls along with the run marks on the floor…someone had been shoved back with immense force while trying to hold his or her ground. He hoped it hadn't been Satoshi, because judging by the burn marks the force had been flaming hot and fast paced.

Biting his lower lip, a habit he inherited from his mother, the young Niwa recovered enough to finish searching the apartment from other than the doorway.

The windows were locked and tightly shut, but the sliding glass door was wide open…and the wheels were bent off the track like someone had hit it with enough cogency to derail but not break it. The couch was still upright, but the cushions were all array, as were the pillows that once adorn it. Continuing on it looked as though the kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms were untouched; whatever happened had started and finished in the living room and on the balcony. This led Daisuke to believe that who ever or whatever had happened to Satoshi had been waiting for him to come home, and when he did, he didn't get much passed the main room before the assailants took off.

Since the doorway was undamaged, he assumed they fled out the window.

The apartment was at least four to five stories up, and therefore whatever jumped out had to be able to survive the fall and get away. Either that suspect could fly, or had supernatural abilities that lessened the impact, because someone would have seen or heard, calling the medical and police services, any other way. Regardless, Daisuke would never believe that a mere human could take down Satoshi without a massive fight; with or without Krad, Satoshi was a force to be reckoned with. But with the atmospheric and visual evidence that he had, he'd had written it off as non-human anyway.

And who said Daisuke Niwa wasn't cut out for detective work?

Well, whatever had happened, there was nothing more he could do here but check out the previous locations of their newest enemy or head home and report back what he discovered. Neither one sounded very appealing since both were more than likely to turn up zilch, but what other choices did he have? Doing nothing was certainly not one of them, and without Dark he was without any way to track down the user of the magic that still lingered in the-

Daisuke's eyes widened and his face beamed with excitement. Yes, he could track the source! He was a Niwa, and therefore pretty much every useful magical artifact known to mortal and immortal was stored back at his house! With Grandpa's help, he could find an item that could help him locate whoever had last used magic in the apartment. Wait…maybe that's what Dark and Krad had done? Surely Krad, even though they were no longer physically connected, would sense if Satoshi were in danger and go to look for him, and if Krad turned up missing there was no doubt that Dark would go after him in turn. Was that why he'd been left behind? Had the angels already come here and discovered what he had just now pieced together?

Ah! Off track again; need to focus!

Daisuke quickly turned on heel, heading for the door to return to home when he stopped as the faint tremors of magical cast off rattled its way up his spine. Someone had just used magic…near by…and cold enough for him to feel like his spinal cord was coated in a thin layer of frost.

Was if Krad? His magic kind of felt like that…but then again his magic was based on…-!

"Hikari magic!"

Without another word, Daisuke was flying out the door and down the stairs with a very motivating purpose.

* * *

"No…s-stop…" Satoshi groaned as he fell to his knees, clutching his head, beside the park bench nearest him. He'd been on his way home when these unnatural thoughts that weren't his own began to cause him actual physical anguish.

_'Hikari, Hikari…' A sickly sweet voice cooed in his mind, 'I cannot stop your own thoughts and feelings…you poor, poor boy…'_

His own thoughts and feelings? Thinking that Krad didn't need him? That Daisuke and Dark had betrayed him? That they'd all used him to meet their own needs and tossed him away like nothing? Perhaps once he had felt nothing but animosity towards the lot of them, but not now…not after all they'd been through!

He suddenly gasped and he slumped down against the frozen wood and metal of the bench, hands furiously gripping his throbbing head harder as he began to curl in on himself. The awful oppression of the hopelessness and pain he felt was constricting his ability to force his lungs to breath and his body to stand. He began to shake uncontrollably and to hold himself tighter was all he could think of doing to hold himself together. It was when his hand had first touched his head on the way here that he realized how frigid his touch truly had become, why Daisuke had moved away from him at his touch, it was like touching pure dry ice. A chill so cold it burned.

That one realization pulled his logical mind up high enough above the despair to comprehend that these irrational thoughts were not his own. Something, or more importantly someone, had dug up his old feelings and intensified them to the degree that he had actually begun to plot Daisuke's murder for things he'd never done! He was so sick with himself for believing, even for a moment, that Daisuke would ever do something so horrible to him that it warranted his murder, but feelings of self-loathing only seemed to feed the monster in his mind. He felt like he was drowning in a vat of acid, drowning beneath the sheering hopelessness and hatred that fueled an insatiable rage that wasn't his own. He had been tricked and it was only now that he understood what that sorceress was doing to him.

Eating him alive, one painful emotion and memory at a time.

Yes, his memories too. Seeing each desolate moment of loneliness in his life only made the dark presence within him grow stronger, each agonizing transformation into a monster only made the phantom larger, every disappointment at failing to meet the expectation of others just egged it on to dig deeper. His heart was breaking over and over again in two while the merciless claws of destructive negativity were ripping apart his mind. His body was icy cold one moment and then burning hot the next, clenched in sadness for endless seconds before thrashing out in vengeful rage. The cascading torrent of emotions and sensations was becoming too much for his fragile body to handle, his shot nervous system was shutting down one vital portion at a time; he knew the signs of shock when they began to take over, and he knew at this rate becoming comatose was a very real possibility. The mind is the body's best defense, and it shuts down when it knows the stress if too much to handle.

And he was fast breeching that point.

_'Sato, Sato, Sato…' The melodious voice continued in a soothing sigh, 'You are making this so difficult. Stop fighting what you know is the real you, the true you…the real Hikari in you.'_

Satoshi had a few very colorful choice words to respond to that one with, but he couldn't get them out past the pain and laxing control he had on his body. She was trying to break him, he knew because its what Krad tried to do in the beginning, but he wouldn't let her. His stubbornness and his legendary Hikari pride refused to let him bow before the will of another, even another Hikari. She was a soul eating, deceptive, black hearted witch who he would not allow to control his mind or his body! He had fought off Krad for years, and he was going to fight her off too-

"AHHHH!" Satoshi writhed and screamed when a flash of sudden and intense pain slammed into his whole being at once, setting his soul and his insides aflame with god-forsaken anguish.

_'How dare you compare me to a slave! That demon is nothing more than a misbegotten experiment, and incomplete one at that. I am the master and mistress of this delicious art, and you WILL abase yourself before me, Satoshi Hikari!' The voice, no longer harmonious, shrieked with fury._

Satoshi would have given anything to be able to smile at that moment, 'Oh good, I pissed her off,' was all he could think before his spine bowed under the sharp spikes of agony seemed to erupt from his very bones.

And he screamed again.

"SATOSHI!"

The yelp of surprise was nearly drowned out along with the rest of his screaming as his blood rushed through his ears. The sensations were speeding up, the emotions spinning faster in a whirlwind of biting electricity, freezing ice, and burning fire; he was going to pass out, God, he hoped he passed out.

"SATO!"

Someone then touched his face and pulled back with a pitched yelp, and Satoshi screamed again as the added warmth of another human's hands only made the fire worse. Who the hell was trying to help him? They were only making this worse!

'_No, NO! You are mine, Mine, MINE!' The woman shrieked, her claws raking through his mind and soul faster, 'You made a deal with the devil, and I want my dues. Submit, submit, SUBMIT!'_

He was so weak and so tired…the pain so much…he couldn't scream anymore, all he could manage was a straggled moan when he felt the presence next to him stand after kneeling beside him for who knew how long. Maybe they were running away? Leaving him alone in his pain…He couldn't blame them, he wouldn't want to be around him either.

But whoever it was didn't leave. In fact, they began speaking again…chanting?

"_Läutern Sie thy Seele, annullieren Sie thy Schmerz. Als ein Sohn der Zauberei, befehle ich Ihnen so_," The voice said in a rushed but evenly commanding voice, "_Läutern Sie thy Seele, annullieren Sie thy Schmerz. Als ein Sohn der Zauberei, befehle ich Ihnen so_!"

The voice continued to repeat the same strange words, that sounded vaguely familiar to him, over and over again, but the pain and the screaming in his head was only getting worse.

'_SHUT UP! Silence you wretched thing! You worthless host of a parasite! Pathetic fool, you could never repel me!' She screeched, and he didn't even know who she was any more._

He wasn't even sure where he was or why he was here. All that was real or memorable was the pain and the screaming, the chanting beyond his ears faltered for only a moment as a whispered phrase of horror escaped from that strangely comforting voice before the chanting began again with renewed vigor. What was happening beyond this blackness and pain that was so horrible to behold? Probably himself…he must look hideous like this…

Then, almost like the snapping of an over stretched harp string, the agonizing pain and overwhelming emotions rose up and out of him, evaporating at an accelerated rate through his very pours before leaving him suddenly cold and…drained.

He was alone again, in his own mind, and so tired…but something was going on beyond him. The chanting had stopped and was replaced with a new sound; sounds of screaming, someone else screaming, and another voice…_that _voice, howling in a rage so strong it almost shook the ground.

He should help…he wanted to help…but he was so tired…and-…wait, who was he?

"Satoshi! SATOSHI!" The once comforting voice screamed again, the one who tired to help him. "Gah! S-S-SATO!"

Satoshi? Oh right, that was him…but…why was he calling him?

"To think as filthy blood carrier like you, a Niwa, could call forth Hikari magic with nothing but a black feather as a focus!" A furious female voice crooned, "Oh how the mighty have fallen and the leeches have grown! My ancestors should be rolling over in their graves now."

Niwa? …Hikari? Black…feather?

It suddenly came back to him in a rush, his name, his birthplace, his mom before she died. The curse, Krad, the magic, Dark…he had to catch Dark! Wait, Niwa…Niwa, Niwa, Niwa…! Daisuke! Daisuke, he had to help Daisuke! That woman, Shizuma Hikari! She had promised to help him find and save Krad, had had tricked him into thinking she wanted to help stop the chaos her own creation was causing and end this madness once and for all. She was weak, and he had let her feed on some of his energy, but she took him, invaded him and corrupted his mind; she fed on his emotions and his memories like she'd fed on Krad's while he was trapped in that gem, that prison. He'd seen it all in her memories, watching Krad mortally wounded over and over again, but only allowed to suffer, not to die…it was hell, pure hell, and she fed off of his horror.

And now she had Daisuke…Daisuke!

Suddenly warm fluid splashed onto his face the moment his eyes opened. He caught the gleam of crimson sliding down the side of his face as his shaking arms desperately tried to support him, to push himself off the ground and into a position he could find Daisuke. He didn't have to look far, just straight up.

The woman garbed in the black cloak with the black arts emblem in red on her chest stood above him in a transparent mist showing her form incomplete and ever fading. She was still a spirit, a ghost of what she once was and still unable to completely exist in the physical world without a body to own or possess, but her hands were real enough to have grabbed the struggling Niwa by his neck and hold him nearly three feet off the ground. Her claws were digging into the soft flesh of his neck sending streams of blood down her hands and dripping onto Satoshi below them. Shizuma looked as though she'd been enjoying sucking the life out of Daisuke, but when Satoshi's awareness came into full swing, she gasped and looked directly back down at the living Hikari. Identical sets of blue eyes locked, and Satoshi understood her distress.

Daisuke's spell had forced her out before she could completely sever the connection, and now Satoshi was pulling his strength and memories back.

They were returning to him in an ever-surging flood of growing warmth, warmth that strengthened him instead of causing him pain. But he could see past the stream of years past, and this time the anger and hatred he felt was one hundred percent his own.

Shizuma's complexion began to pale as more and more of the energy she'd cultivated from her living heir wasted from her, her form becoming more and more transparent. But she refused to be beaten, not like this, not when she had been so close to total control!

With a screech of vehemence, the sorceress squeezed Daisuke's neck all the harder before throwing the now limp body of the Niwa at the half-standing Satoshi, the two grounded with a loud –THUD- by the impact before her hands began to whirl in the air making an intricate dance of symbolic patterns.

When Satoshi was able to roll Daisuke off of him, not having time to check if he was breathing, he recognized the coming spell and immediately grabbed the white feather he always kept with him in his pocket. Krad had given it to him as an emergency focus, for protection. Shizuma was going to incinerate them, and Satoshi refused to allow this witch to cause them any more harm.

When Shizuma screamed out the final invocation words, "_Verbrennen Sie zu Asche_!", Satoshi countered and threw everything he had into his own spell, "_Sparende Anmut_!"

The energy for the magic was yanked in two different, opposing, directions causing the air molecules to rush and separate too quickly for the casters to see more that a blinding explosion of light and violent wind. At the last moment, Satoshi had grabbed onto Daisuke's hand and the two were suddenly gone. As for Shizuma, casting her black magic spell, she vanished before Satoshi could even open his eyes.

He doubted she was dead, or at least gone for good. But for the time being, he and Daisuke were being carried away on the currents of magic to a safer place than here, a place where not even that demon could follow. Satoshi wasn't consciously aware of where he'd directed the spell to take them, but he knew it would be a place he and Daisuke would be sheltered and protected. And right now that's all he wanted.

In an instant, three things registered to Satoshi. First, his hand was still firmly grasped on Daisuke's hand; second, the impact with a cold and hard floor had knocked the breath from him and sent him and Daisuke sliding over a well-polished surface. And finally, when they his something solid and tall, Satoshi opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of an angelic statue above him.

Marble…white marble…not his angel, not Daisuke's either.

A sanctuary. Satoshi had sent them to a sanctuary.

Satoshi's weariness caught him for a moment, his head flopping backward to lie on the hard surface of the deserted church's floor. How did he know it was deserted? Other than he couldn't sense anyone but himself and Daisuke there? Because the only church he knew, the only one the spell could have possibly taken them to was an abandoned cathedral on the far side of town overlooking the sea from the cliffs it stood upon. Another church had been built closer to the main populace and this one forgotten to time…well, to all but Satoshi, who found it one of the most peaceful places he'd ever known.

But the sudden realization that the world was far to quiet around him, to quiet when he had another person here, and his eyes snapped open and looked over at Daisuke. Satoshi felt the blood drain from his face when his vision filled with the still bleeding puncture wounds on the side of Daisuke's neck closest to him, the boy's face was turned away, but his chest wasn't rising or falling.

He wasn't breathing.

"Daisuke!"

**Notes From the Author:**

Wow! 2 chapters in one night! How's that for inspiration driven madness? XD Again, thank you to all the readers and supporters of the _Distance_ series, this really isn't possible without you. I'd be working on chapter 20 right now, but its past 1am and however much I want to continue repenting for my long absence, I need sleep...So, good night to all and I hope you're enjoying the story all over again! X3 I love cliff-hangers.


	20. Just Freedom

**Chapter 20**

'_Daisuke am I right...' Krad asked trying to control his anger. _

'_D-Dark...what...' but before Daisuke could finish he felt a very sharp pain in his stomach that made him cringe in agony. _

'_DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME DARK!' Krad screamed and he mentally watched Daisuke clutching his stomach, the metaphysical blow being strong enough to double the child's soul over in spine crushing anguish. _

_And as he watched Daisuke writhe at his feet, the only speck of light in this mental world of darkness…Krad raised a hand and channeled an unbearable amount of energy into the struggling boy's body. The sounds of bones creaking beneath the pressure and watching his exposed skin stain black with the unleashed blood rupturing within brought the sadistic blond a small amount of pleasure._

'_Ahhh!' Daisuke screamed as the pain grew, his body feeling like it was trying to fold in on itself! He felt like he was dying…-Dark, Dark, where was Dark! . 'W...who are you?' He managed to ask through his screams and whimpers of pain. _

'_I am Krad, the better of that unfathomable Dark.' Krad said, and after a minute or so he released the pressure he was putting on Daisuke. Wouldn't want the boy dead before he figured a way out of this mess…however tempting the thought. 'Don't ever call me Dark again...or I'll do worse then just a stomach ache...' He said dangerously and after seeing the most precious thing in the world to Dark fall to the ground in pain, his anger began to decrease. _

_Seeing anything Dark valued in life, teetering on the brink of death and bowed before his mercy gave him the most exquisite pleasure imaginable._

That's right…he had done that…he had hated Dark, and caused the Niwa boy pain because he knew it would hurt Dark.

_"I rely on no one…especially not…" Krad began in a calm voice, then without warning, Verruckt was sent reeling to the floor after a hard right cross to his face. He didn't even have time to recover when he felt Krad's boot come down hard on his chest. "Dark Mousy…"_

_Verruckt's mind was racing, trying to figure out what had happened. Here the demonic angel stood over him, with his foot on his chest holding him down, his expression was calm but his eyes were full of rage and madness. Then a flash of silver light caught his attention, Xilef's sword! Krad held in his hand the fallen king of light's blessed sword! But before he could even cast a spell to throw Krad off of him…he felt cold sharp steel enter his body. The blade had been driven through the center of his chest, and the blade was thrust in so deep that Verruckt could feel it penetrating bone, muscle, and armor. Pain like he had never felt before. Rage from within him flared, he'd been struck down with a fatal blow…and by none other then his lover's sword._

"_GAH!" Verruckt gasped as blood filled his lungs. His air supply was leaving him quickly as his blood flowed out onto the ground._

_Krad had said nothing. He only stood there, his foot still on Verruckt's chest just beside the sword that was still deep within the dying king, and stared down at him with his hard cold eyes that held no mockery, pity, or delight…only harsh, cold…frost._

Eyes of solid gold continued to look out over the city below, a fallen angel of white wings, clothed in the blackness of his enemy, nearly blending in completely with the night. Long golden hair danced gently in the frigid wind, its icy coolness no more than a comfortable blanket around an even colder body.

Because that's what he was…a demon of wicked ice and magic.

_The blond angel had flown for a long time after he had left Dark at the museum…but soon he could no longer as a painful past over took him and he had barely enough strength to land on the balcony of Satoshi's apartment. He slowly stumbled inside and fell to his knees holding his head panting hard unable to stop the terrible memories from resurfacing._

"_S-Stop it…" Krad hissed as the horrid nightmare of each death and rebirth played again and again in his head. Being born into a host more vicious then the last, "Stop it…leave me alone…" He demanded over and over again as every muscle in his body racked in the memory of each vicious cycle._

_Memories of when he had first taken life, and then the pain of being tortured into submission by the first head of the Hikari household until he accepted his role in life as a monster who's soul purpose was to kill and destroy without cause or question. Of dying and then being brought back without a body to call his own or a life in which he himself would have the will to control…the countless blood of other stained on his hand. The horrible things that family made him do…labeling him a curse, or a slave to be used at their disposal. He begged over and over again that it would stop…he felt knots in his stomach, as the memories flooded to him all at once like a tidal wave of monstrous force._

_The memory of when he had given up trying to be freed of the cruel cycle that he now was eternally bound to. When did he ever give them permission to use him like a puppet then throw his life away only to be brought back for the same torment all over again? No…he'd asked that question before, and only received more torment and pain…they were the Hikari's…his creators…they didn't need a reason, that was the answer. Finally he'd just given into them, he had come to the realization that he was nothing more then a puppet…a murderous monstrous puppet. A demon. When he had finally cast aside what little humanity he had left and forced himself to enjoy the true nature of a demon…killing with pleasure, developing a lust for blood and power, manipulation of his hosts, and all for what? So he could cope with his existence and not be hurt by it, for a demon felt no feelings or pain…And then finally, after being the demonic nightmare for so long…he'd finally felt safe enough to allow himself the consciousness of humanity. He had locked those memories away for good…but now; he was forced to relive them all at once, it was too much! And on top of that…Dark was there…he was almost hurt…hurt by more damn Hikari magic…hurt by the same magic that had been used to torment him for so long, and then he'd pushed him away after he tried to save his life…why was this happening! Guilt, pain, anguish, exhaustion, sorrow, and torment washed over him all at once and he collapsed to the ground still holding his head with tightly shut eyes. "Stop…make it stop…" He repeated over and over again._

Krad watched it all, all of his memories, play through in his mind with a detachment befitting a spectator to a violent and horrifying movie. He understood that this was his life, what he'd experienced and done…what had been done to him, what he'd done to those who tormented him…what he'd done to those who now cared about him most. It was a lot to take in, but after realizing that he'd survived all of this once, relieved it again after the demon of identities tore down his mental barriers, and now had to regain back all of those memories that soulless witch had taken from him…he absorbed them again from a distance.

However, they were still all…incomplete.

"…There are holes in these memories," Krad said aloud, his voice finally having returned to the emotionless and smooth tone he'd possessed before his truce with Dark, "where are they." It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

_'As I said before,' Damous replied from within Krad's mind, 'Shizuma holds the rest…for it was she who horded the most of the energy stolen from your body, mind, and soul. I have given you all that I can.'_

Krad's eyes narrowed at the smooth and seemingly satisfied tone in his former host's voice. Yes…Damous Hikari was once his host, and ancestor of Satoshi, who had been murdered and sealed away by a jealous sibling thus returning Krad to the cycle of dormancy and rebirth, to live again in the next Hikari kin.

Apparently, the host after Damous had not faired much better than his predecessor.

"I seem to notice a lack of recollections that involve my time spent with you during your time in life. I acknowledge that you were indeed a past host, but I am curious to see as to why I didn't save you before you were killed?" Krad commented, his tone grating on distrust and annoyance. "Care to share those happy times?"

_The response came from a mental smirk from the Hikari spirit, 'You know as well as I that we…didn't always get along. However, whether we enjoyed each other's company or not our deal remains.'_

Krad growled low in his throat, his face still expressionless save for his piercingly narrowed eyes, "…Yes. Regardless, our deal remains."

With that, the spirit withdrew from the consciousness of Krad's mind and fell silent in the endless subconscious. It was an uncomfortable feeling for Krad, as though someone had washed ice water through his brain and let it pool in at the top of his spinal cord, but he ignored it. Right now his focus was on finding this Hikari witch and retrieving the last of his memories…and watching that black-hearted whore sink into oblivion.

Then…then…he would find Dark. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure why it was imperative to find him after regaining the last of his past, but the compulsion, the drive to see his other half again was near instinct in power. Whether that instinct was the 300 years of honed desire to kill him, or the recent few years of tenderness and care that made him long just to hold him again…he didn't know.

Both seemed appealing at the moment, draining Dark's body dry of blood or giving him one last fatal kiss before ripping his still beating heart from his chest.

It was still so confusing, seeing how many times he'd fought Dark, nearly killed him, or murdered his host…yes, both Krad and Dark had Niwa and Hikari blood on their hands…for killing one's host ensure that the demonic spirit cannot return again for a full generation cycle. Then on a sudden turn of things, like someone illuminating the everlasting darkness…Dark was holding him, whispering sweet words of comfort in his ear while melting the layers of frost surrounding his heart. He had even shown tender affections to Dark in turn; soft kisses, caressing hands, even more lascivious actions that caused pleasure shuddering sensations to ripple through him. Dark was beloved in his more present memories, but so hated passionately in his past…

Which did he truly believe? Love or hate? Present or past? Dark his lover, or the Phantom Thief…his enemy?

Whatever Dark was to him he was sure he needed the rest of his memories to make the best conclusions. Even more so, he had to fulfill his end of the bargain he'd made with Damous Hikari.

The ladder he was not particularly looking forward to.

Without further ado, Krad extended his extrasensory awareness outward, searching for Shizuma, and unfurled his great white wings. With one graceful flap, the fallen angel leapt from the top of the University's tower and took off into the night.

* * *

The office was cloaked in darkness. The lack of light was no hindrance now; in fact it was rather peaceful and merciful on his throbbing headache. He knew he was the only one left in the building, the last occupant of the fortieth floor of the City Councilman's Building, the place where his new Commissioner of Police office was located.

It had been nearly a year since Kei Hiwatari's death, and his appointment into suddenly unoccupied position. The young Satoshi Hiwatari had even recommended him for the position, much to his surprise since his biggest case of the century was still open: the capture of Phantom Thief Dark. Despite his fruitless attempts to capture the criminal, despite the ridicule and political pressure he'd received over the issue, and even in spite of the eyebrows his nomination rose when the young Detective announced his choice for his late father's successor.

Police Commissioner Saehara…it had an eerie ring to it.

Between the endless boat loads of paperwork, long drawn out and meaningless bureaucratic meetings, and his phone contantly ringing off the hook, he barely had time for sleep, let alone that blasted case. Of course he had passed on the tourch to someone else, freeing him up to perform his public service as Commissioner, but he kept an eye on any failures or progress made in the department.

And since the theft at the museum, and then the homicide of the curator before the destruction of his mansion…all eyes were out for the Phantom Thief now.

In the political and public eye, he was now under the suspicion of murder.

One giant headache…just one damned and giant headache.

Suddenly the phone on his desk rang and he groaned, his annoyance and frustration reaching its peek. How the hell did Commissioner Hiwatari do this and stay sane?

"Commissioner Saehara." He ground out, his tone betraying every ounce of irritation he felt.

"Hey dad, mom wanted me to call and see what time you'd be home tonight." Takeshi, his son, responded with a evenly irate tone, not enjoying being his father's keeper any more than he enjoyed his mother's nagging.

The Commissioner sighed and let the translation ring loud and clear, "Tell your mother it's likely to be a late night again. I've still got a few more reports to go through before morning, and the newest information on the curator's mansion case just came up…damn thing is fifty pages long."

Suddenly his son's tone changed from bothered to excited, the aspiring journalist was still fascinated with the Phantom Thief Dark cases, "Did he do it? Was there evidence found? Are they sure he was acting alone? Did you find out what he was after?" He rambled, his enthusiasm getting the better of him as his endless questions began to run together.

The old cop's left eye twitched, "Takeshi, you know I can't discuss ongoing investigations, especially not with the press." He paused and thought about something a moment before adding, "Unofficial or otherwise." He heard the dramatic groan on the other end of the line and quickly went on before the boy started up again, "I'll see you when I get home son, good night."

With that, he hung up the phone and slumped down in his chair, a hand massaging his temples, as he lay sprawled out in the mass of leather and supposed comfort. His headache was getting worse…he needed an aspirin.

"Wow, sounds like you've got your hands full."

Commissioner Saehara froze in an instant, and then after a few heartbeats his free hand dove into his opened desk drawer before pulling out his standard issue firearm, a 9mm handgun. He didn't know who had spoken, and in this darkness he couldn't see a bloomin' thing, but he hand the weapon raised and aimed at the space beside his wall sized window over looking the city. The moonlit outline of a man's silloutette, leaning up against the edge of the glass, made him start wondering how on earth he'd gotten in here without him hearing it. What the hell-

"You know, I should warn you that guns don't work that well on me any more…but if it makes you feel better that have it out, then by all means." The figure said but remained motionless in the shadows.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my office?" The former Detective Saehara demanded, his fear and surprise instantly masked when he slipped into years of training.

"…Someone who's here to make you a deal…one I doubt you'll refuse once you hear what I have to say. So…do you want to talk, or should we just do this the hard way?" His tone was even, smooth, without malice intent; but it made the old cop tense none-the-less.

"I don't make deals with criminals, or mysterious shady characters like yourself, but I'm a patient man and willing to listen if you come out where I can see you and prove that you're not armed." Saehara replied, now slowly moving into a standing position holding the gun in a two-handed stance.

The man at the edge of the nature light chuckled once before pushing off the wall with the most fluid of ease. His boots bearly made a sound as he stepped slowly across the plush carpet, he was dressed all in black from head to toe, and blended in so well with the unlit office that he almost looked like one with it. But the light switch was on the other side by the door at the far end; unless Saehara had a flash light, he was going to have to rely on the illumination of the world outside.

But the moment the silvery glow of the moon touched the handsomely tanned face of the approaching man and gave his wine colored eyes an ethereal glow, Saehara's jaw and gun slowly dropped. The shock and awe on the older man's face was stark as his buttoned up white shirt against the black leather chair behind him. The intruder was wearing an ankle length black trench coat, the front buckles open to reveal the sleek black body suit beneath, knee high boots laced and strapped tight, and an onyx pendent hanging from a black gold chain around his neck completed the outfit.

"P-Phantom Thief…Dark…" He bearly managed through the haze of disbelief. It was Dark, Phantom Dark, right here in his office…w-what was going on?

The corner of Dark's mouth pulled up at the edge as he rose his hands in a universal sign of submission, "Don't worry, I didn't come here to fight…just pitch a proposition." He said in a voice normally used to talk jumpers out of trying to purge the world of themselves with the help of gravity.

This seemed to register in the old man's mind as his face quickly screwed up into one of deep suspicion, dark brown eyes locked onto Dark's as he took in a deep breath through his nose. But at least he didn't raise the gun again.

Saehara may not like Dark for all of the trouble he'd put him and his task force through, and he definitely blamed the thief for many of his recent and past headaches. But unlike most criminals he chased, Dark was an interesting case…one who did indeed break the law, but did everything in his power not to harm or take a single human life. In all of his years chasing after the Phantom Thief, Dark's mocking taunts, letters, and actions never once resulted in a single casualty…so in Saehara's mind these recent events just didn't seem possible to have been done by Dark. Not that he was completely ruling it out, but it just didn't fit Dark's M.O. to ransack, murder, and then destroy the places he robbed.

So, in the spirit of giving the thief the benefit of the doubt, the old detective gave him a once over and then a nod.

"Alright then, I'm listening."

Dark's one sided smirk turned a bit pained before vanishing all together, clearly Dark was not completely into this either. But he decided to get right to the point, making this easier on both of them. He took a deep breath…well, here goes nothing.

"I need to find somethings, specific Hikari works of art with no officially known locations. Normally I'd seek them out myself through me…special means, but as of right now I am unable to access those resources." Mainly Daisuke, since they were separate now, Dark's powers had decreased as well, making long distance searches next to impossible, "I'm running out of time and need something once owned by the last Police Commissioner…I was hoping you could help me out in exchange for something well worth the cost."

Saehara frowned at him, already picking up that Dark was leaving things out, but didn't move to end the conversation or redraw his weapon. Dark did seem a little…off, this evening. He still looked unreal, mysterious, and young…but their was less luster in his usual charismatic presence and his eyes seemed more troubled and tired. Maybe he was as exhausted as the rest of them, and if he was going straight to the head of the people trying to catch him then that proved his desperation right there.

"And what would be worth the cost of aiding the world's most imfamous Phantom Thief?" He asked, skeptical but interested in what Dark had to say. "Besides, I don't even know if-"

"I'm turning myself in."

The interruption proved to be the most shocking statement to ever grace the Commissioner's ears. This time he didn't even try to compose himself, he let the surprise show right on his face as he stared at Dark. The thief looked even more tired, no defeated, now and was looking at Saehara with the resigned look of someone who'd made peace with his deal with the devil. Even now with his hands held in surrender, and this omission that he was prepared to throw his fate away to the mercy of the law, Saehara couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Dark, history's most fabled and timeless thief, was giving…up?

"Kei Hiwatari kept a secret cache of lost Hikari works in a hidden vault somewhere in this building, and exchange for one specific item and the promise of a free pass tonight, I'll swear to turn myself in without a fight once I've completed what I need to do." Dark continued, deciding that waiting for the Commissioner to respond at the moment was too much to ask for, "After that…I don't care what you charge me with or hold me accountable for…I won't deny anything. But right now I need your help and your word that anyone you may or may not have tied to me and my crimes will not be dragged into this with me, that I acted alone and without the aid of anyone else."

Saehara was only now beginning to breath again, the information processing in his brain as he automatically began to weight the pros and cons of what Dark was asking.

Dark waited another moment before continuing, "…Do we have a deal?"

A deal? To finally end a career long hunt for _the_Phantom Dark with just a simple deal? Just one word or gesture of approval and Dark would finally bow down to the long arm of the law, to justice? …No…good things were never this easy. He wanted a reason.

"Why? Why after all this time would you finally cease your impressive efforts to avoid being taken into custody?" Saehara asked with a nearly accusing tone. "Give me a reason good enough to trust your word, that this is it, that the long reign of Dark is at an end."

Silence stretched between them for a moment. Neither party speaking words, but the Commissioner's hard demeanor slowly softened at the haunted and remorseful look in Dark's face. The dark angel lowered his arms and let them hang loosely at his sides, shoulders slumping ever so slightly, and his gaze becoming distant, as if seeing some far off vision.

"…When your freedom is all you have left to give, for someone you love…would you willingly give it away?" He asked, though it came out as more of a confession.

Saehara swallowed the lump in his throat, "For my family…I'd do anything for them. But my question was if that was something you were willing to do…not me."

Dark's eyes closed and he hung his head, he looked so completely defeated, completely surrendered to his own fateful decision, that had Saehara not met Phantom Thief Dark before…he would have never believed that the man before him was him.

"Yes, I would." It were three of the hardest words Dark had ever had to say in his long life, but they were true. To protect Daisuke and spare Satoshi any pain or repercussions of his actions, he'd do it. But most of all, for his love for Krad…he'd do it.

Dark would end it all to set things right, and to save the one he loved most.

Saehara took in another deep breath and sighed, he knew Dark was telling the truth. No man could ever fake a confession or an omission like that, and if Dark really was as committed to whoever he was doing this for…then the old cop would take him for his word that he would hold to his promise.

He also guessed that because time was so short, it was the reason Dark had asked for the items and not broken in to steal them himself.

"The late commissioner kept a lot of strange art works and intricate pieces in a sealed vault I have access to in this building, I won't confirm a location since it holds a lot of sensitive evidence from previous cases as well." Saehara explained as Dark lifted his head to give him his attention, "Tell me what you're looking for, what you plan to use it for, and I'll get it for you."

Dark gave a shadow of his once famous smirk, now only a half-hearted grin, "To the first one, it's a circular memento made of black ivory, with a jade pentagram set into it, no larger than a table coaster. And the second…I'll keep that to myself. But I will assure you that it will have nothing to do with breaking the law…well, your laws at least."

Saehara grunted in annoyance, and didn't quite understand what laws Dark would be breaking that weren't human, but in the end he decided he was better off not knowing. If Dark planned to come out of it alive and able to turn himself over, than that was fine with him.

"Alright then, now tell me how you plan to surrender once this little mission you're on is finished?" He asked with a gruff but curious voice.

Dark gave a small chuckle, "Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."

That made Saehara blanch, but he supposed that since Dark said "none of his laws would be broken" this assumed no innocent bystanders. Though he didn't want the city damaged either, Dark had a pretty clean record with that…so he'd just have to go on a little faith.

"Stay right here, I'll be back." The old cop muttered as he gave Dark one last warning look, and gave him wide birth as he walked across the floor and stepped out of the office.

Once he was sure the Commissioner was gone, Dark gave a hefty sigh and felt some of his tension drain away. This would be over soon, everything…this meeting had gone better than expected, but he'd been counting on the human's desperation to catch him in order to make this work. Yes, he would have been scotch free if he'd just searched the building for the items himself, but time really was too short for that and in order to fully absolve Daisuke's family someone had to go down for the Phantom Thief crimes.

And who better than Dark himself?

The police had been closing in on the Niwa's for some time, putting them high on the suspect if not the affiliation list for suspects. But with the Commissioner's promise to let them and anyone else they suspected go…then the only one who got hurt was Dark. Besides, he didn't plan to stay in custody long.

The_'__Youkai Sunadokei' _would only hold his soul in the physical world for so long before he began to fade. Without Daisuke, this was the only way to stay alive long enough to keep him out of the fight and finish it on his own.

The item he'd come here for, '_Shupu-ru'_, was a specially designed Hikari work that traced for other Hikari works. It had originally been made by one of the past Hikari's in the 19th century to track the Niwas and Phantom Dark whenever one of their precious pieces were taken. However, after Krad reappeared for that cycle, the artist who had created it was driven insane and killed himself leaving all of his personal works forgotten for more than a century. Funny that Dark should need it now to find the witch who nearly killed Krad in turn. But that was irony for you…and more ironic still, was that it was Dark Mousy avenging Krad for crimes the Hikari committed against his lover.

Fate was a wicked bitch.

That was when the door to the office reopened and the sounds of worn shoes stepped in and traveled across the carpet. Dark turned around and was greeted with the Commissioner holding out the very item he'd requested. The smooth and flat ivory circle with the jade archaic rune embedded in the center, was lifeless in the human's hand…but Dark knew it would glow in his own.

"Take it and go, I've activated the silent alarm on the vault door to make them think you really did steal it instead of me just handing it over." The old man explained gruffly, thrusting the artifact into Dark's waiting grip, "You have five minutes, tops, so I suggest you know me out quickly and go back the way you came in."

Dark was surprised how thoroughly the Commissioner had thought this through, but didn't waste time commending the man who was essentially helping him save Krad's life.

"Thank you." He said before raising his left hand and slamming it down on the junction between the old man's neck and shoulder. The old cop didn't have a second to even utter a noise before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the floor.

Before the man had drawn a single breath, Dark was gone.

**Notes From the Author**

Hello again! Finally got chapter 20 up before I called it a night and high tailed my butt to bed. I tried to make this chapter longer than most since I won't be home tomorrow or Sunday to update. XP I work 12 hour shifts at a hospital, so its impossible to get any writing done on shift.

I hope you all enjoy the continuing revival of the _Distance_ series! Till next time!


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